PANAJI
Raising serious questions over the work quality and public safety, the redesigned pavements freshly lined with interlocking tiles under the 'Smart City Mission' have caved in at several places in Panaji city.
The damage to the pavements is visibly an aftermath and impact of Saturday morning's burst of rain which had almost the entire network of city roads flooded with shin-deep water.
At one spot near the old Education Department building on 18th June Road, a nearly 10 metre long patch of the pavement was washed off.
And, at yet another spot a few meters away from the Don Bosco campus, a one-square meter patch had sunk in, raising questions on the safety of Pedestrians using them.
Earlier on Saturday, after the flood waters receded, there were potholes on roads after the patchwork by contractors executing 'Smart City' works had got washed away. These have now been temporarily filled with a mix of rubble, mud and road metal.
Also, in several cases, the cement edges of manholes for freshly built sewerage chambers have also given way after Saturday's rains.
