A pothole at Borda (Margao) had developed after the laying of sewerage pipes. The government contractor carried out soling, which involved placing rubble stones over the soil in the pothole. Then the stones and soil were compacted using a road roller to prevent settling and erosion and to improve stability. Subsequently, the road is hot-mixed. The contractor did a jugaad and, instead of a road roller, he used an old Maruti van to flatten the rubble.
It was a funny sight to behold, the driver patiently driving forward and in reverse over the rubble, guided by a worker. Perhaps the contractor thought that he could use an old van since it also “rolls on the road!” The Public Works Department (PWD) would now be in a fix as to whether to felicitate him for developing a new, cost-effective and time-saving technique for rubble soling or to take him to task. But if the PWD is not billed for the road roller, then he needs to be appreciated for not having taken the government for a ride! Where were the PWD supervisors to monitor the work?
