CANACONA: All of the culverts on the internal roads of Canacona are in a dilapidated condition and are crying for attention, according to the locals.
While the roads get asphalted every time they are washed out, the culverts built on the river streams have remained neglected ever since they were put into use.
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Taken for granted by the authorities, structural degradation and other damage to these structures can result in catastrophic road failures, which in turn will cause inopportune incidences, say experts in road building technology.
All of these over 100 culverts on the various streams of the seven village panchayats and one municipal area in Canacona have crossed their service life and are more than 50 years in existence.
The steel rods utilized for reinforcing the concrete have corroded and at some places are even detached and are hanging. To add to this, the wing walls of some of these culverts have collapsed as a result of mass erosion of soil from the sides and beneath, exposing the culverts to greater dangers.
Many of the elected representatives of the local self governing bodies Herald spoke to, stated that they have informed the PWD (internal roads) about the precarious state that these culverts are into but apart from ‘the estimates are done and the file is sent up’, nothing concrete has happened since last few years they said.
However sources at local PWD office in Canacona informed that most of these culverts are at various stages of tendering and the work would start soon.
“In Cotigao, four such culverts are tendered and are awaiting work orders, Loliem-Polem, three culverts are awaiting expenditure sanction while
the Marle-Tirwal culvert work order is issued and the work will begin soon” added the same source.
