Villagers deploy JCB to clear drainage as temporary solution
Inspection of the waterlogged Seraulim underpass by WRD officials and local villagers.
MARGAO
The monsoons have long retreated, but the perennial issue of water logging plaguing the Seraulim underpass has come back to haunt motorists and villagers of Seraulim.
Exasperated over the failure to work out a permanent solution to the water logging problem, a group of local villagers deployed a JCB in a bid to clear the blocked drainage to pave way for the drainage of water as part of a temporary solution.
Villagers, however, said that they have been anxiously waiting for a permanent solution to the problem to make the underpass motorable.
In fact, an inspection of the underpass conducted by an official of the Water Resources department with local youth and Warren Alemao showed that the issue of water logging is far from over. As a temporary solution, the locals deployed a JCB, but the fundamental issue of constructing the drainage remains unaddressed till date.
The locals pointed out that hopes were raised around three years ago that the long wait at the Seraulim railway crossing would be over after the commissioning of the underpass but in vain. “Since the time the underpass was commissioned till date, the subway has remained water logged throughout the year. The sub way is shut during the monsoons as it turns unmotorable”, informed a local.
Warren Alemao told the media that he had called for an inspection after the local youth sought his intervention to highlight their plight over the water logged subway.
“The local MLA has washed off his hands saying that the underpass was built during the tenure of his predecessor. My question to the MLA is simple – what has he done in the last three years to address the problem of waterlogging at the Seraulim underpass?”, Warren questioned.
Warren demanded the intervention of the authorities to work out a permanent solution to the issue. “On one hand, the Seraulim railway crossing is frequently closed for traffic in view of the increased frequency of trains running on the track. On the other hand, the Seraulim underpass remains water logged for most part of the year”, he said, demanding to know how the villagers are supposed to drop their wards to schools.
