MAPUSA
Within a period of five months, the main PWD water pipeline was damaged four times due to ongoing NH-66 expansion work on the 14-km stretch from Colvale to Guirim in Bardez.
State PWD officials have accepted that on all the occasions, MVR Infra Pvt Ltd, which is contracted with the highway expansion work, was responsible to damage the pipeline but no action has been initiated against the contractor so far.
The pipeline supplies water to almost seven constituencies in Bardez.
In the first instance, the drinking water pipeline was damaged at the four-road junction along the NH-66 at Carrasvaddo on April 22 this year when a JCB operator belonging to MVR Infra Pvt Ltd ruptured a 350 mm diameter water pipeline while carrying some digging work in the area.
Within a fortnight, on May 7, the same pipeline was damaged again at the same four-road junction at Carrasvaddo while executing the highway expansion work.
Yet again, as recently as on September 16, a main 1000 mm diameter water pipeline was damaged while executing the highway expansion work near Binani in Colvale.
Within four days, on September 21, the same contractor was responsible to damage another water pipeline in Guirim which supplied drinking water to Porvorim.
“The repeated damage to water pipelines shows the recklessness of the contractor who is carrying out the expansion work of the national highway. It indicates that the contractor is not diligent in his work. In such circumstances, why should the PWD repair the pipeline by spending public money?” said Adv Mahesh Rane, a resident of Mapusa.
He said the PWD should immediately file a complaint against the contractor for criminal negligence.
Sources in PWD informed that there was near unanimity among officials to file a police complaint against MVR Infra Pvt Ltd, but those attempts were scuttled by “political compulsions”.
Executive Engineer, PWD (water), Nitin Neurekar admitted that repeated damage to the pipelines put pressure on the work force to get it repaired in record time since water was an essential commodity and supply had to be restored on top priority.
He, however, confessed that PWD was not spending money for the repair work as the cost to repair the pipelines was borne by the contractor.
“MVR Infra Pvt Ltd bears the cost for the repair of the damaged pipeline. Our engineers have to be constantly on the site to inspect the work,” Neurekar said.
Meanwhile, the damaged Guirim pipeline was repaired late on Monday night and water has also been released.
