MARGAO
Two years and half after the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC) initiated the ambitious project for upgradation and beautification of the two-km long Seraulim-Colva road, work is finally nearing completion.
However, there’s a big hitch before local motorists and visitors take a smooth ride to the Colva beach on the Rs 18 crore upgraded road. While the GSIDC will hand over the widened two-kilometre road to the government within a month’s time by March 31, which agency will asphalt and illuminate the road is still remains a million-dollar question.
The reason: The asphalting, hot-mixing and illumination of the two-kilometre stretch does not form part of the scope of the Rs 18 crore ambitious project. And, GSIDC officials said it is indeed upto the government to take a call which agency will execute work of asphalting the widened road and illuminate the entire stretch.
Rough estimates have put the cost of asphalting and illuminating work on the two-kilometre stretch is estimated to cost around Rs 8-10 crore.
Says GSIDC project officer Jude Carvalho: “Work on the upgradation of the Seraulim-Colva road will be complete as per the scope of work by March-end. We will hand over the road to the government on March 31.” He, however, hastened to add that asphalting and illumination of the road stretch is not part of the GSIDC tender, adding that the government will have to take a call on the agency that would take up this additional work.
Questions are being raised why the GSIDC did not include asphalting and illumination of the upgraded road in the scope of work at the time of floating the tender. Salcete’s lone minister, Vijai Sardesai, also raised a similar query. “It is indeed surprising that the asphalting and illumination of the road stretch does not fall within the ambit of the scope of work. You just cannot leave an upgraded road executed at a whopping cost of Rs 18 crore without asphalting and illumination. I have already discussed the matter with GSIDC officials and the matter will be pursued with the Chief Minister to take the project to its logical conclusion,” Sardesai told The Goan.
Jude pointed out that the GSIDC has already completed the upgradation work, adding that the work of covering the drains along the stretch is presently in progress. “The work of covering the drains has already started. Only around 400 pre-cast drain covers need to be placed along the stretch,” he added.
Officials in the know, however, said the government has time to take a call on the shortlisting of agency to execute the asphalting and illumination. The Goa Sewerage Development Corporation is presently working to lay the sewerage network along the stretch and work on asphalting and illumination can take place only after the laying of the underground sewerage line.
Work on the ambitious project was taken up around August 2016, nearly 44 years after the government acquired the land for widening of the crucial link to the Colva beach way back in 1972. Work went into full steam to ensure that the road is widened priority basis with Salcete coastal belt playing host to the four-day BRICS summit in 2016.
