Blame it on lack of co-ordination or a clash of political egos. A road in Corlim gets hot-mixed within a year after it was asphalted, while another road in the village has been crying for attention for more than five years.
The Corlim panchayat first asphalted the road near the Corlim Primary Health Centre in 2014. The PWD then took up the work of hot-mixing the same road in 2015. It sparked a debate among the villagers on the importance given to this road when a major road from Volvaddo junction to Dhulapi had been left untouched despite a demand to repair it urgently.
The issue was hotly debated at the recently held gram sabha. The villagers opined that asphalting the road was a colossal waste of the panchayat funds – over Rs 9 lakh – since the same road was supposed to be taken up by the PWD, through the local MLA.
A local Baptist Pereira questioned the panchayat authorities on whether they were aware that the MLA had proposed the road. Panch Caetano Po, in whose ward the road falls, replied in the negative. In fact, the panchayat authorities stated that PWD did not even inform them that the work on this road had been proposed by the MLA when the technical sanction was issued.
However, a PWD official told Herald that asphalting and hot-mixing were two different things and hot-mixing a road within a year of its asphalting was not a big issue.
The Corlim villagers thought otherwise. They claimed the money spent on hot-mixing the road could have been spent on dilapidated roads in the village. Deputy Sarpanch Victor Pereira stated that the PWD should have diverted the money to repair the road from Volvaddo junction to Dhulapi.
When contacted, Cumbarjua MLA Pandurang Madkaikar shifted the blame to the Corlim panchayat for taking up the asphalting in the first place.
“The panchayats have a limited fund, and hence, should not spend money on road works, but leave the same to the MLA,” said Madkaikar, adding that some panchayats did not approach him due to difference in political ideology. He further said, “I had proposed the work on the road more than three years back.” He also informed that he personally monitored the roads in his constituency.
When questioned about the neglected road from Volvaddo junction to Dhulapi, Madkaikar replied that the road was supposed to be taken up during his last term as MLA. He also wanted to widen the road, as it was very narrow. However, the work was delayed due to lack of an NOC from Corlim comunidade.
“The road has been tendered now, but the contractor has informed that work cannot start straight away as there is possibility of rains. Work will be taken up after the monsoons. If the Corlim comunidade is ready to give NOC for widening the road, then even now fresh tender can be floated to include the road widening as well,” said Madkaikar.
