The Goan Network
PANAJI
Minister for Public Works Department Deepak Pauskar on Wednesday disclosed that his department has issued a work order for Rs 32 crore for widening and hotmixing of the stretch of highway from Anmod to Khandepar via Mollem with the expense being meted out through funds received by the PWD from the central government.
Owing to the pending permissions from the Goa State Wildlife Board, the department will undertake only widening of the two-lane existing highway instead of the proposed four-laning of the stretch. The same will also be hot mixed thereafter, the PWD Minister stated.
He further said that the time has come for laying a hotmix carpet on all the roads across the state.
“The agencies undertaking the ongoing works of underground cabling, water pipeline laying, gas pipeline, network cabling have been given a little extension to complete their works. A review meeting of these works will be convened between December 20 and 25 to understand when we can immediately begin hotmixing the roads across the state,” Pauskar said.
The PWD Minister stated that the new design for drainage ensures that roads need not be dug again and that the hot mixing work agreement with agencies is for three years for maintenance and for five years for the structure.
Taking a jibe at former PWD Minister Ramakrishna Sudin Dhavalikar, Pauskar stated, “The previous PWD Minister, engineers and officers are responsible for these bad conditions of our roads. I have full faith in my engineers and officers and I give them full freedom to handle work to their best professional capabilities.”
It was disclosed that during the ongoing financial year, the budgetary allocation to PWD was Rs 2,000 crore, out of which Rs 800 crore was directed at dispensing government salaries and the remainder was allocated to planned and non-planned expenditure.
“We get financial sanction as per budgetary provision. The central government has now given us an additional budget of Rs 150 crore for National Highways and Rs 70 crores for State Highways under Central Reserve Infrastructure Fund,” Pauskar informed.
