VASCO
A portion of the retaining wall under construction collapsed at Sada-Vasco amid heavy rains, prompting an unhappy Mormugao MLA Sankalp Amonkar to threaten filing an FIR against the contractor engaged in the work.
Amonkar was speaking to reporters following a joint site inspection of the ongoing work, which was attended by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials, representatives of the contractor company, engineers, and Mormugao Police Inspector Sherif Jacques.
Meanwhile, the contractor maintained that the issue was restricted to a 10-metre portion of a 100-metre stretch due to excessive rains. “Out of the 100-metre stretch, only about 10 metres developed issues after water seeped in with pressure from the top due to torrential rains. The rest of the work is intact, with anchors and slope stabilisation completed. This is an early warning sign and falls under the five-year defect liability period, so we will rectify the issue at our own cost without any extra expenses,” the contractor said.
He added, “Had we finished reaching the top portion and laid the concrete layer, nothing would have happened. The problem arose because water from the incessant rains entered from the top, causing seepage and bulging in that 10-metre section. It was an unfortunate incident, but we are investigating the issue and mitigating the risks.”
