MAPUSA
With pothole-ridden roads continuing to test the patience of Goans and erode the government’s image, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday stepped in with yet another assurance “ all road repair works across the State will be completed within the next 15 days.
For weeks now, battered roads and crater-like potholes have turned travel into a daily ordeal for motorists. The frustration is visible on social media, where citizens have been posting images of damaged roads, tagging the government and the Public Works Department (PWD) in their outrage.
Faced with mounting criticism from both the public and the opposition, the Chief Minister on Monday sought to calm tempers by promising swift action.
“Hot mix plants have started, and repair works are already underway in several areas. Within the next 15 days, all roads across the State will be repaired,” Sawant assured.
Sawant also said that he had received and accepted a memorandum from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders, who submitted a list of badly damaged roads at the Secretariat.
However, this is not the first such assurance.
Earlier, the government had promised to fill potholes before the Ganesh Chaturthi. Later, newly sworn-in PWD Minister Digambar Kamat directed officials to report the worst roads and ensure repairs by September 30.
Both deadlines came and went, leaving commuters to navigate through the same treacherous routes.
PWD officials, meanwhile, have pointed to the erratic monsoon as a major hurdle.
“Hot mix work requires dry conditions. Given the active monsoon, it’s difficult to start the plants immediately,” a senior PWD engineer explained.
“Realistically, the hot mix plants can operate only by late November, after which large-scale road resurfacing can begin,” he added.
Opposition parties, however, have accused the government of “habitual procrastination.”
A Congress leader Vijay Bhike said, “Every few weeks we hear new deadlines, but no visible change. The government seems more interested in excuses than execution.”
Citizens, too, have grown sceptical.
“Every festival brings a new deadline “ first Ganesh, now Diwali. But the potholes are still there, greeting us every morning,” quipped a daily commuter from Mapusa.
As the Chief Minister’s 15-day clock starts ticking, Goans will be watching closely “ not just for smoother rides, but for a government that finally delivers on its word.
