MAPUSA
Despite a week-long dry spell and clear directions from Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to speed up road repairs in Mapusa, the Public Works Department (PWD) has turned a blind eye to the worsening condition of critical roads in town.
One glaring example of official apathy is the large pothole/dug-up section on the main district road (MDR) directly opposite the ‘Phoenix Plaza’ apartment complex. This heavily used stretch poses a serious hazard to motorists, especially during peak traffic hours.
Interestingly, while the contractor managed to patch up another damaged portion barely 200 metres away on the same road, this particular spot was conveniently overlooked. Several other roads across the town are also riddled with potholes and dug-up sections, all of which urgently require attention and proper patching.
The situation in Angod is no better, where several internal roads continue to be riddled with potholes and craters. Locals fear that once the monsoon gains speed, these neglected stretches will become virtually unmotorable.
Their inaction flies in the face of the Chief Minister’s clear instructions issued five days ago, demanding that all relevant departments “get their act together” ahead of the full-fledged monsoon.
“This is nothing but criminal negligence. It’s not like they’re waiting for the rains to stop “ the rains have stopped. What else do they want? The CM himself is the PWD Minister. If his orders are being ignored, then who’s running the department?” questioned Peter D’Sa, a resident of Mapusa.
Seconding him was Pandurang Sawant, a Mapusa merchant who questioned the lack of application to get work done on priority. “What we see here is not just poor planning but a total collapse of accountability. We don’t want excuses about weather anymore “ the weather has been fine. What is the PWD doing?” Sawant retorted.
With every passing day of inaction, public frustration is mounting. The PWD’s failure to act underscores a worrying culture of indifference and inefficiency within the department.
Unless swift action is taken in the next few days, the roads of Mapusa may soon become symbols of yet another broken promise from the government’s infrastructure playbook.
