MARGAO
Fatorda witnessed an uproar over road digging to lay a gas pipeline with citizens questioning the rationale behind damaging roads which were hot mixed last month during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Viksit Bharat Viksit Goa rally at Fatorda.
An agitated Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai has warned the PWD officials not to issue permissions to excavate recently hot mixed roads unless the department has floated a tender and is in possession of financial sanction for the restoration of the work.
Citizens on Tuesday morning questioned the delay in restoring a hot mixed road at Arlem near the Arlem circle, claiming the road was dug up around 20 days ago, but has not been restored till date.
The Fatorda MLA has warned the PWD officials not to take the MLA and the citizens for granted. “If you are digging the recently hot mixed roads, please first float the tender for the restoration and obtain the financial approval. The PWD has produced the undertakings made by the gas laying agency that money has been deposited with them for the road restoration work. We are not concerned whether the agency has deposited the money or not. All we demand is first float with the tender and obtain the financial sanction before digging the roads”, Sardesai said.
He warned the PWD engineers that they will have to face a gherao if they do not pay heed to his instruction and take the people for granted. “In the past, we had to come down on the road to agitate against the government for not commencing roads works. We were arrested and the matter is still pending in the court. We are ready to hit the streets again”, he said.
Sardesai further demanded to know whether the underground gas pipeline has taken into account the safety aspects of the citizens, more so when lines of public utilities such as sewerage and water supply are laid underground. “If the company laying the gas pipeline does not adhere to the safety aspects, Fatordekars will be content in receiving the LPG gas cylinders”, he added.
