Goa boasts of a number of ‘state-of-the-art’ constructions in the state. Yet, there appears to be no end to the number of disasters and mishaps involving civil engineering works undertaken by contractors in Goa”the latest being the leakage and flooding in the basement parking lot of the new High Court of Bombay in Goa, which was built at a whopping 115 crore rupees, 3 years ago (TGE, June 27).
Earlier, it was the renovation work of Kala Academy that was in the limelight and under the scanner for collapsed slabs, falling false ceilings, leakages, and faulty auditorium works, all of which involved crores of rupees. The Smart City works in Panaji are yet another case of poor planning and faulty engineering works by the Consultant and the Contractor, leading to sinking roads, collapsed road drains, and flooding of important roads, etc., in what was billed as a massive scam. Retaining walls are also known to collapse during the monsoons, the latest incident being on the NH66 at Pernem, which almost killed a motorist as a boulder came tumbling down.
The question then is, why is this happening so frequently despite there being no dearth of highly qualified and eminent Civil and Structural engineers in the state? The only plausible reason is rampant corruption and the involvement of politicians and people with vested interests. What a criminal waste of talent and good work, to say the least. interests.
