the goan I network
PANAJI
PWD Minister Deepak Pauskar on Wednesday said all workers who are on a contract basis for five years and more with the department will be enrolled under the PWD Employees Society so that wages can be paid directly into their accounts.
Pauskar who was replying to the discussion and debate on demands for grants pertaining to PWD, admitted that the bill clearance process is lengthy and it takes as much as 3 months to clear the wages of contract labour who work under a
contractor.
He said that a decision will soon be taken to increase payment to contract workers as they are currently getting wages as low as Rs 6000, 8000 and 9000 per month.
Pauskar also assured the House that he will try to come up with a solution to the question of staff working on contract. Staff recruitment and promotion will be resorted to overcome shortage of manpower in the department, he added.
On contractors not following safety norms and standard construction practices, the Minister said that PWD engineers will be held responsible along with contractors for shoddy work of road expansion.
Pauskar said tar will be imported to overcome shortage which has stalled road re-soling. He said, the department will try to import about 13,000 tonnes of tar which is the annual requirement with permission from central government.
He also said that a pilot study will be done for repairing potholes using a jack patcher and assured that this will be done without affecting small contractors.
Sewerage connections will be made compulsory and 25% surcharge will be added to water connections, he said.
Pauskar also refuted allegations that there is no finance with the government and that payments to contractors are pending. “Government has enough money and bills are being paid to contractors following due procedure,” the Minister s
aid.
He said Opa water works augmentation with a 27 MLD plant will be ready soon and there was an issue of land with the forest department for the construction of the Ganje 25 MLD plant. “It will be resolved soon with the intervention of the Chief Minister,” he added.
Presently, 642 MLD water is supplied by the PWD across Goa and once the various capacity augmentation projects currently in progress are completed, an additional 52 MLD water will be available, the Minister
informed.
“Projects are also proposed at Porvorim, Chandel, Canacona, Tuem, Guirim, Netravali, Kulem and Uguem. Work orders for these projects whose cumulative capacity adds up to 95 MLD will be issued within the next two months,”
he said.
Pauskar admitted that in the monsoon, turbid water is supplied to the public due to non-upgradation of the water supply system. He said a consultant will be appointed for upgradation to prevent turbidity in supply by next year.
Measures will be implemented using funds through Jal Shakti Abhiyan to prevent contaminated water entering vulnerable sections of the water pipeline network, he said, adding that under Jal Shakti Abhiyan, old pipes and smaller diameter pipelines will be replaced.
