Even as common people continue to pay hefty taxes, they don’t get the services from the government that they pay for. Red-tape, government apathy ensure that tax payers’ money continue to go down the drain, while their wait for services like hospitals, roads and bridges among host of other such facilities continue to remain elusive.
THE unused DONGRIM BRIDGE
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The Dongrim Bridge in Azossim-Mandur Village Panchayat constructed by the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC) is one such project. It is lying unused for more than a decade as the approach road on either side is yet to be built.
The issue was raised in the State Legislative Assembly many times with members urging the government to construct the approach road on either side of the bridge for the convenience of farmers.
Soon after declared elected last year, MLA Viresh Borkar had said that he would find out as to why the bridge at Dongrim was built without approach road from both the sides to the bridge. He had said that it was a waste of tax-payers money and demanded an inquiry into the tendering process.
According to the villagers, the work of the new bridge started in 2008 after the erstwhile small bridge collapsed in 1996. Though the old 60-metre-long bridge collapsed, farmers started using the makeshift wooden bridge to reach to their fields till the time the then GSIDC vice chairman and MLA Francis Silveira proposed construction of a new bridge.
Former Minister Francis Silveira said that he had taken initiative to construct a new bridge after the old bridge collapsed. “I wanted to construct the new bridge at the same place, but faced difficulties due to narrow road. We then selected another alignment, but it took time due to land acquisition proceedings. Also the height of the bridge had to be increased as Captain of Ports raised queries.”
Silveira said that the bridge has to be completed so that farmers can use it to go to their fields, even as their fields have now been inundated by saline water following breaching of bunds.
Silveira said, “I had also prepared a budget estimate of Rs 80 crore through Agriculture department for repairs of khazan bunds so that farmers could cultivate their fields. The government should repair khazan bundhs and ensure that the bunds are not breached by those involved in pisciculture activity.”
Former Azossim-Mandur Sarpanch Ajit Bacal said that around 400 farmers used to cultivate their fields and were using the old bridge to take tractors to their fields. After the bridge collapsed, farmers erected a makeshift bridge and it continued till the time the government decided to construct a new bridge.
Bacal said that though the new bridge was built, there were no approach roads and the government had to acquire land on either side.
“The work on constructing approach roads is still on, but whether the farmers will cultivate their fields is a million dollar question, given the fact that fields have been inundated with saline water and surrounded by mangroves,” he said.
