Scrap vehicles and road rollers lying at the PWD office in Fatorda.
MARGAO
With the monsoon only days away, abandoned vehicles, including old road rollers and trucks lying idle at PWD office complex in Fatorda, have once again raised concerns among residents and visitors over the risk of vector-borne diseases.
Visitors fear the discarded vehicles, left exposed in the open, could become mosquito breeding grounds once the rains begin. Questions have also been raised over the delay in removing the old machinery and scrap vehicles that have remained at the site for several months.
Former Margao Municipal Councillor Jaffar Sheikh has urged the Public Works Department (PWD) to clear the abandoned trucks and road rollers from the Fatorda complex before the monsoon.
“On close inspection, one of the trucks is filled with pipes and waste material. If rainwater collects in and around these vehicles, it could create ideal conditions for mosquito breeding,” Sheikh said.
He also urged Margao Urban Health Centre to issue directions for the removal of the scrap vehicles. “At a time when Health Department is working to make Goa free from malaria and dengue, these abandoned vehicles could affect those efforts,” he said.
Residents said the issue has remained unresolved for too long and demanded immediate measures to prevent stagnant water from collecting inside the unused vehicles and equipment during the monsoon.
