the goan I network
MARGAO
Taps ran dry in many parts of Curtorim and Macazana villages on the auspicious day of Dussehra after a
PWD water line, which was repaired only on Wednesday, ruptured again on Thursday.
What agitated the local residents, including the local ZP member Moreno Rebello, Curtorim Sarpanch Rui Menezes and panch Simon Barretto was the absence of PWD engineers to get the damaged line repaired.
They demanded that the government should set up a mechanism to ensure that officers as well as staff of public utility services such as water supply are posted on duty during festivals.
The Curtorim ZP member Moreno Rebello told The Goan that many parts of Curtorim and Macazana had to go without water supply for two days before the PWD officials got the line repaired in a haphazard manner which gave way on Thursday.
“When we brought the matter to the notice of the Assistant Engineer, PWD, Water Supply, he said that the pipeline must have been damaged by a stone by some unknown miscreants. Even assuming if the pipeline was damaged by miscreants, though locals firmly believed that the repaired joint gave way because of substandard work, the assistant engineer ought to have lodged a police complaint against the miscreants,” Moreno said, adding that not a single PWD engineer or employee were around to attend to emergency works in the morning.
He also demanded that the government take up the work of replacing the ageing water pipelines in Curtorim, saying that the damaged pipeline was reportedly laid around 25 years ago.
Sarpanch Rui Menezes contended that the PWD should deploy staff to attend to emergencies even on festivals, saying that it is not fair to deny people water on a festival day.
Panch member Simon Barretto pointed out that the government should set up a mechanism wherein government staff is on duty 24x7 to attend to public utility services such as water, health and electricity.
“We request the PWD senior engineers to find out how the repair which was carried out just a day ago has given way. This is not acceptable,” he said.
