PWD huffs and puffs to clear choked drain

the goan I networkrMAPUSA rrThe action came about as the main district road opposite the Counto Honda Showroom in Duler was susceptible to flooding during heavy rains. The 500-metre long drain is covered with more than 100 large concrete slabs and more importantly, it is choked to the brim with debris including plastics. rOn Saturday, the labourers who descended on the site struggled to lift the concrete slabs and by noon in a piecemeal job had managed to clear just part of the drain. r“We will come back on Sunday with extra labour force and try to clear the whole stretch,” the supervisor said. As reported in The Goan on July 5 the road in front of the showroom turned into a pool during a heavy downpour hindering smooth movement of vehicles. rThe much-delayed action came about due to one of the resident’s doggedness to pursue the matter with the PWD (Roads). Diego D`Souza, resident of Bella Vista kept knocking on the doors of the PWD executive engineer and the assistant engineer urging them to clear the drain. r“Even yesterday (Friday) I went to the executive engineer and requested him to take up the work on an urgent basis,” he said. rD’Souza’s struggle to get the authorities do their job has been recorded in a file thick with petitions made to various departments. r“I have no choice. My house is close to the main road and I can see motorists struggling during the heavy rains when the road gets flooded,” he said. rSources in the PWD said that real problem was due to resource crunch, as government has put curbs on undertaking small works. r“There’s a lot of sewage water flowing through the drains and we find it difficult to get workers to clear the stretch. We will do our best and try to clear the drain as early as possible,” said Jose Carvalho, Assistant Engineer, PWD (Roads).