The State government has announced a slew of projects pertaining to state-of-art bridges and flyovers within a timeframe, but it appears to lack the know-how to widen a small but accident-prone culvert along the NH 17A at Five-Star in Sancoale.
The 15-metre long narrow culvert which has been a scene of many accidents, including some major ones, is being tendered for the last 16 years, with the PWD finding no takers (contractors) for the works.
Speaking to Herald, the Cortalim PWD (National Highway) Technical Assistant Harish Tanawade said that the work on the culvert had been tendered four times alone, during his tenure at Cortalim.
“For one tender only a single contractor had bid, so the work had to be retendered. When the work was retendered, the contractor quoted 91 per cent higher than the tendered amount. So again, the tender fell through.”
“Recently, the department had tendered three culverts, one at Five-Star (Sancoale) and the others near Pai Nursing Home and at Goa Shipyard, both in Vaddem-Vasco. Here again, the works was quoted 15 per cent higher than the tendered amount,” informed Tanawade.
Asked what could be the reasons for the contractors to back out, Tanawade said that the work on the Five-Star culvert at Sancoale has some infrastructural problems, apart from financial reasons.
“The construction of the culvert will take at least one year. Concrete works take at least 28 days to cure. The payment will be given to the contractor only once the work is over. Similarly, a make-shift road will have to be built during the construction works and the water pipeline which is passing through is adding to the hazard,” said Tanawade.
Asked whether the contractor could claim part payment, Tanawade said that the part payment can be made, but the major amount will be paid only once the work in completed.
To a suggestion whether the PWD could undertake the works departmentally, Tanwade claimed that the department cannot undertake such major works since PWD does not have expert labour and other logistics.
Interestingly, the director of transport in 2002 had recommended to PWD widening of a narrow culvert along NH-17A at Sancoale.
“It has been lying unattended for the last 10 years. I am pretty amused,” a transport official had remarked.
Incidentally, Mormugao, despite being the smallest taluka, has the largest number of accident-prone zones in the State. The taluka has three national highways passing through it.
According to Activist Lawrence Fernandes from Sancoale, the narrow culvert has been the cause of many accidents. “I have witnessed accidents causing deaths and injuries to the people, “The government should do something before there can be more fatal accidents,” appealed Fernandes.
Fernandes said that the culvert is a major bottleneck from traffic going to the airport and to the port town of Vasco on NH 17 A, which caters to the traffic of North Goa and beyond.
When contacted, Dabolim MLA Mauvin Godinho, who earlier represented Cortalim constituency several terms, recalled that the work to broaden the culvert was tendered several times, but there were no takers. “The minister concerned should see into it and take it up on priority. Only then there will be a solution to it,” Mauvin said.
Cortalim MLA and Forest Minister Alina Saldanha said that she was seized of the matter.
“I have already sent the proposal to the PWD for widening the culvert along with other two culverts. Thereafter, I will take up the issue with the PWD minister,” informed Saldanha.
