The Manora road has been washed away at certain spots, leading to accidents. Captured by : Santosh Mirajkar
MARGAO
If there’s a single issue that has been repeatedly mentioned at almost every gram sabha of the Raia village panchayat over the last four years, it is the Manora road -- the vital road link between Raia and the adjoining Nuvem village.
Reason: The dilapidated road has been the cause of many road accidents in the last four years, affecting the residents of Manora and motorists using the road to head to Nuvem. Residents of Manora, the predominantly Scheduled Tribe-dominated area, have been voicing their concerns over the bad condition of the road for the last two years, but to no avail.
Recently, the Goa State Scheduled Tribes Action Committee (GSSTAC) sent a letter to the SC/ST Commissioner seeking intervention to have the Manora road from Raicho Ambo to Baida Kirbhat junction repaired. The road condition had recently brought incumbent Curtorim MLA Reginaldo Lourenco and the locals face-to-face over the delay in undertaking repairs and restoring the road to motorable condition.
Says GSSTAC leader, Manuel Barbosa: “The residents have knocked on the doors of every authority, including the SC/ST Commissioner, to repair and restore the dilapidated stretch of the existing road immediately. The condition/surface of the road has been very bad for the last four years. The PWD is responsible for maintaining and repairing the road. As we citizens pay the road tax, it is the government’s duty to provide the necessary infrastructure to the general public.”
He added: “No one should feel that the residents are doing politics over the road. We came out openly to voice our concerns since it is now four years that the road has been lying in a dilapidated state, causing several road accidents. Nearly 90 per cent of the population of Manora comprises Scheduled Tribes. Our people face a lot of difficulties while travelling and walking on this road. Mostly, our people are labourers and daily workers in the fields and various other daily tasks.”
Curtorim MLA Lourenco admitted that the Manora road has been in bad shape but hastened to add that it normally takes a year and a half to complete the administrative process before the hot mixing of the road. “The present state of the road is attributed to the inferior tar used for the hot mixing work. I understand the sentiments and concerns of the locals and the motorists, but some political parties have been trying to make capital out of the road condition,” he said.
He added: “Since the process is now complete in all respects, the contractor has been issued the work order, and the hot mixing work should start next week. This time, we will ensure that the contractor uses only genuine tar, given the bitter past experience.”
Cuncolim's road woes
Will the ordeal faced by Cuncolkars over the last several months due to the roads being dug up before the onset of the monsoon for the laying of power cables in the municipal area finally end before the ensuing Christmas season?
Well, large tracts of the internal roads, which were dug up by the Power Department to lay the power cables, have virtually turned unmotorable, including a small stretch of the Assolna-Cuncolim Major District Road (MDR).
While PWD officials said the dug-up road will soon be restored as the PWD has floated the tenders, locals hope the work is completed before the ensuing Christmas festivities. “The MDR stretch between Voddy and Buinsa has turned unmotorable. The MDR has been left with only a small motorable stretch. Locals as well as motorists have faced enough hardship since the time the roads were dug up for laying underground cabling. We hope we soon see a turnaround,” remarked a local resident.
Secretary of the Cuncolim Civic and Consumer Forum (CCCF), Lorna Fernandes, informed that the Forum has lodged a complaint before the Consumer Conciliation Committee (CCC) of the Department of Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs in Panaji. “This complaint has been heard since June 2024, and the opposite parties include the Executive Engineer, Div IV, Margao, the Chief Electrical Engineer in Panaji, and the Chief Officer of the Cuncolim Municipal Council. At the next hearing to be held in January, the Electricity Department has been asked to ensure the presence of the contractors,” she said.
Lorna pointed out that she had filed a second complaint, where the digging of the roads by the Electricity Department resulted in damage to the optic fibre cable on the highway and created hardship for the BSNL internet consumers. “We have ensured that BSNL raised a demand to recover damages from the Electricity Department’s contractors amounting to Rs 19.50 lakh. The next hearing is scheduled for January,” she said, adding that the complaints pertain to the deficiency of service due to the violation of the Right to be Informed and Right to Safety under the Consumer Protection Act 2019.
