Team Herald
PONDA: Navratri celebrations began in the temple town of Ponda on Monday but locals were upset to see that some roads including bypass NH at Dhavlim – Farmagudi were still in the dark causing undue hardships to devotees visiting various temples here.
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Kisan Naik, a local stated that Navratri celebrations began yesterday and the temples in Ponda were decked up and illuminated for Navratri celebrations . He however lamented the fact that the roads leading to some prime temples were not illuminated and it was just difficult to spot stray cattle squatting here at nights and demanded that the defunct street lights be repaired immediately.
According to locals, the Shantadurga temple in Kavlem is a famous tourist destination and popular deity in Ponda and attracts thousands of devotees during the nine nights of Navratri celebrations. Devotees were upset that the streetlights at the Dhavlim – Farmagudi bypass Highway which connects to the internal temple road were not repaired even during festivals. Stray cattle squat in the middle of the road and it is just not possible to spot them at nights, said a villager and added that the lives of devotees was at risk, said an irate villager.
The Dhavlim Farmagudi road is fraught with problems and accident prone too, said another villager and added that travelling here at nights in the absence of streetlights was harrowing.
