MAPUSA
While most of Mapusa was scrambling for umbrellas and raincoats on a damp and drizzly day, a curious ceremony was underway on the stretch between Carvalho petrol pump and the Bodgeshwar temple – a grand parade of governance – Road hotmixing, in the rain.
Despite the ominous grey skies and a persistent drizzle since morning, the show had to go on.
Mapusa MLA Joshua D’Souza, Chairperson Priya Mishal, PWD officials and a very committed contractor braved the moisture-laden air to oversee what might generously be called a textbook case of how not to lay a road.
Armed with nothing but sheer optimism and public funds, hotmixing was carried out enthusiastically even as the asphalt struggled to bond with a wet surface.
Within an hour, the drizzle matured into a full-on downpour, giving the newly-laid carpet a premature bath.
“Public money is gone down into the drain,” remarked a pedestrian who was passing by, summing up the public sentiment with surgical precision.
Under the keen supervision of PWD Assistant Engineer, Vitorino Sequeira the contractor seemed undeterred until, some citizens and activists intervened and questioned the ongoing work in rain.
“What’s going on here? How can you lay hotmix on the road while it’s raining? Do you really expect this surface to withstand a heavy downpour? This is completely absurd. You’re wasting taxpayers’ money,” said Sanjay Barde, an activist and resident of Mapusa.
By afternoon, the work was hastily stopped.
For residents who had long demanded better roads, this performance was less of a developmental work and more of a damp squib.
Critics were quick to point out that this wasn’t just about poor planning, but also poor leadership.
“Hotmixing in the rain is like ironing a wet shirt. Only here, it’s the taxpayers who get burnt,” quipped a shopkeeper nearby.
As Mapusa sloshes through another monsoon with bumpy rides and soggy promises, one thing is certain: governance here runs on its own unique weather forecast – mostly cloudy, occasionally absurd.
