MARGAO
Civic and consumer activists staged a protest at the Margao flyover on Saturday protesting against the deplorable conditions and the apathy and indifference of the PWD engineers, national highways, to repair the road over bridge since the last two years.
The activists also demanded that the PWD or the Konkan Railway carry out a stability audit of the flyover which was constructed around two decades ago.
Armed with black flags and banners, civic and consumer activists staged the protest on the S
irvodem side of the flyover to condemn the apathy of the authorities to force the PWD to repair the bridge.
Activist Lorna Fernandes pointed out that the flyover remained neglected despite the fact that as many as two Sub-divisional Magistrates, Ajit Panchwadkar followed by Uday Prabhdesai, had called meetings and issued directions to repair the same, but in vain. "The first meeting was called by then SDM Ajit Panchwadkar in July 2016, but the ground reality remained unchanged at the bridge for reasons best known to the authorities," she said, adding that a similar exercise undertaken by Panchwadkar's successor Uday Prabhudesai also failed to get the PWD repair the flyover.
What's significant to note is that instructions issued by Salcete's lone Minister Vijai Sardesai to the NH-17 officials to repair the bridge at the earliest had gone abegging, with neither the potholes removed nor the damaged rubber packings replaced.
Plans unveiled by the NH-17 to close down the flyover for a day after November 18 last to take up the repair works have failed to take shape till date, again for reasons best known to the authorities.
Lorna and the activists also questioned the PWD's decision to appoint consultants by paying huge funds to suggest the maintenance of the flyovers and bridges. "When the PWD has an army of qualified and capable engineers, we fail to understand why its top brass rope in consultants at a price," she said.
Activist Lorna Fernandes pointed out that the flyover remained neglected despite the fact that as many as two Sub-divisional Magistrates, Ajit Panchwadkar followed by Uday Prabhdesai, had called meetings and issued directions to repair the same, but in vain. "The first meeting was called by then SDM Ajit Panchwadkar in July 2016, but the ground reality remained unchanged at the bridge for reasons best known to the authorities," she said, adding that a similar exercise undertaken by Panchwadkar's successor Uday Prabhudesai also failed to get the PWD repair the flyover.
What's significant to note is that instructions issued by Salcete's lone Minister Vijai Sardesai to the NH-17 officials to repair the bridge at the earliest had gone abegging, with neither the potholes removed nor the damaged rubber packings replaced.
Plans unveiled by the NH-17 to close down the flyover for a day after November 18 last to take up the repair works have failed to take shape till date, again for reasons best known to the authorities.
Lorna and the activists also questioned the PWD's decision to appoint consultants by paying huge funds to suggest the maintenance of the flyovers and bridges. "When the PWD has an army of qualified and capable engineers, we fail to understand why its top brass rope in consultants at a price," she said.
