THE GOAN | MAPUSA
Goa’s crumbling road network is unlikely to see the much-promised turnaround anytime soon.
Despite public assurances of swift post-monsoon repairs, the Public Works Department (PWD) has run out of funds – halting all new hot-mixing works across the State and dashing hopes of a smoother commute before the tourist and festive season peaks.
Over the past year, several road stretches were dug up for water pipeline upgrades, underground cabling, sewerage expansion and gas line projects. When the early and extended monsoon arrived, these sections buckled into deep, hazardous potholes.
Motorists and pedestrians endured months of dangerous travel, with several fatal accidents linked directly to the State’s battered roads. The government was slammed for failing to act in time.
Now comes the bigger blow: the money has dried up.
Multiple senior officials have confirmed that the Public Works Department (PWD) is facing a financial crunch, effectively freezing new hot-mixing works and delaying major repairs that citizens had expected would begin soon after the extended monsoon.
A senior PWD engineer admitted that the situation is far from ideal.
“The department has exhausted its budgetary allocation for the current financial year. Whatever you see being hot-mixed now was sanctioned in the previous financial year,” he said.
“No fresh works can be taken up until new funds are available,” he added.
According to him, the ongoing patching works – often criticised as superficial – are only temporary measures intended to ensure minimum navigability.
“Full-fledged hot-mixing or reconstruction requires significant funds, and right now, those funds simply do not exist,” the engineer said.
A former senior PWD official explained that despite political announcements of road improvements, the technical and financial processes are far more complex.
“People think that once Administrative Approval is granted or tenders are floated, the work can immediately begin. But the most crucial part is Expenditure Sanction (ES) from the Finance Department,” he said.
“In many cases, projects remain stalled at this stage. Without ES, the PWD cannot legally spend a rupee,” he added.
He further noted that while governments can, in theory, borrow money to advance certain urgent projects, “such exceptions are rare and usually reserved for high-priority works or politically sensitive commitments.”
Sources within the PWD also revealed that the department had hoped to launch large-scale hot-mixing campaigns immediately after the monsoon, but the fund shortage became clear only in recent weeks when internal assessments showed depleted balances under key heads.
“People will have to be patient. We know the conditions are bad, but unless finance department releases additional funds, our hands are tied,” another official said.
With the festive season and peak tourism weeks ahead, stakeholders fear that poor road conditions could worsen congestion and raise safety concerns.
For now, the State will have to rely on stopgap repairs, while the larger promise of smoother roads remains stalled – not by engineering challenges, but by empty coffers.
