Service road yet to provide full service to motorists at Porvorim
ANIL SHANKHWALKAR
SALIGAO
The Service (Link) Road from Sai Service to District Institute of Education and Training (DIET) is yet to provide full service to motorists at Porvorim as work on the road is yet to be completed, even though three years have passed since work began on the project.
The foundation stone for the 1.5 km Service Road, constructed at a cost of Rs 2.7 crore, was laid by then chief minister Manohar Parrikar on February 25, 2013. While laying the foundation stone, Parrikar had assured that the Service Road would be completed by Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation within six months.
Though more than 25% of work on the third Mandovi bridge has been completed, work on the Service Road is still incomplete and is yet to be fully used by motorists.
The only portion of the Service Road being put to use is the stretch from the Sanjay School till Sai Service, since traffic along the NH17 highway has been diverted on account of ongoing work on the third Mandovi bridge.
Asked to comment on the incomplete illumination work on the Service Road, a source at the Porvorim Power Sub-Station said: “The work to lay underground electricity cables and the illumination of Service Road is the responsibility of the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation.”
“The electricity department has, so far, not received an application from the GSIDC to release power supply for the remaining portion of the Service Road,” said the source.
When contacted, Porvorim MLA Rohan Khaunte expressed regret over the delay in completing the Service Road.
“It is more than three years now that the project of service road is underway. After completion of the Service Road, the government should have taken up the work to construct the third bridge over Mandovi River.”
“This Service Road project includes the construction of footpaths 2.5 metres wide on both sides of the road at an additional cost of Rs 3 crore and the entire road is supposed to be illuminated,” said Khaunte.
Asked to list out the pending works on the Service Road, Khaunte replied: “The work to lay electricity cables, construction of footpaths, illumination and hot-mixing of this road are yet to be completed.”
“The ongoing sewage work has added to the woes of motorists. There is an urgent need to complete the Service road for better traffic management in the area,” he said.
Ending with a warning to authorities, the Porvorim MLA added: “If the pending work of Service Road is not completed soon, then residents of Porvorim will be forced to launch an agitation.”
