PANAJI
A smiling former Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Sudin Dhavalikar on Friday challenged Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and current PWD Minister Deepak Pauskar to complete the hot-mixing of internal roads in the State before February 2022.
Dhavalikar, a former Deputy Chief Minister who has cumulatively held the prized PWD portfolio for a better part of two decades, also sarcastically said that he would extend his support to Sawant only if the latter manages to hot-mix all roads in the State by February next year, when the term of the incumbent BJP-led coalition government is scheduled to end.
“Internal roads are not possible to complete before March 2022, however much he (CM) assures,” Dhavalikar said, adding that both the Chief Minister and his Ministers were shooting their mouths without understanding the nuances of road management and repairs.
“In CM’s assembly speech, CM himself has said that by December 2021 all roads in Goa will be hot-mixed. I challenge him to do this. He has also said that he will resolve the mining issue in three months. If he fixes Goa’s roads by February, when his term ends, then I will publicly support him,” a smiling Dhavalikar told reporters, without clarifying whether he was speaking in terms of support ahead of the 2022 State assembly polls.
“He should fix all roads, rural, major district, district, State highways, national highways, national highway connectivity, internal roads by February 2022. If he completes all these roads, we will support him,” Dhavalikar said.
Dhavalikar also took a dig at Pauskar -- one of the two Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party MLAs who quit the party to join the BJP.
“One minister says that he will hot-mix all roads by December 30. I will only say that he should look at completing the (national) highway works worth Rs 100 crore which were announced when I was minister. He should focus on completing those first, before thinking about the rest,” Dhavalikar said.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s public assurance earlier this week that no pothole would be spotted on Goa’s roads from November 1 has already triggered social media memes as well as ridicule from the Opposition.
Sawant gave the assurance at a public function organised by the PWD during the inauguration of a new building premise for the department.
