PANAJI
Acting tough, the State government has decided to impose a stringent accountability for PWD road engineers, if accidents are reported due to potholes. The State has set a clear deadline for eliminating potholes from roads by the upcoming Ganesh Chaturthi festival, scheduled next month.
The Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday chaired a crucial meeting with the officials and engineers of Public Works Department (PWD), wherein the directions were issued to the Principal Chief Engineer to issue show cause notices to the Engineer concerned for failing to act against the contractors to ensure pothole-free roads.
“We have already issued show cause notices to over 100 contractors for sub-standard works and now notices would be served to the Engineers from the respective areas,” Sawant told media persons post meeting.
Sawant said that clear instructions are issued that if henceforth accident takes place due to potholes then the Engineers would be held accountable along with the contractor. “It is the duty of the Engineers to see that roads are pothole-free or they are maintained and restored in a time-bound manner,” he said.
He further said that the contractors, who have executed the respective road work would be directed to repair and restore within their defect liability period at their own cost. “No additional financial burden on the State,” he said.
“Will see that all the roads are repaired and pothole-free by Ganesh Chaturthi,” the Chief Minister said, adding that from October 1 onwards an Integrated Management would be put in place for coordination among the concerned departments and to fix accountability.
During the recently concluded monsoon session of the State Legislative Assembly, Opposition as well as ruling benches had cornered the government over the alarming rise in road accidents and pothole-ridden roads across the State.
