Darkness turns Calvim Bridge into den

ANDREA FERNANDES

andrea@herald-goa.com

ALDONA: All this while nobody seemed to have had a clue as to who is handling the maintenance work of the Calvim Bridge which had been in darkness on several occasions and for months in the past.  

The residents of Calvim and surrounding areas are angry at the State government’s failure to keep the bridge illuminated, sometimes for months altogether. Incidentally, the Institute for Steel Development and Growth ranked the bridge third nationally, for steel design.

In January this year, hundreds of locals held a peaceful candle light protest march on Calvim bridge because it was in darkness for over seven months. Shortly after the protest the bridge lit-up again.

The Calvim Bridge was inaugurated on October 13, 2013, exactly a year and a half after a tragedy on February 18, 2012, when a bus transporting school children sank in the river; six students died in the accident. The cost the bridge was Rs 61 crore. And within few months of its inauguration, the bridge became a famous tourist attraction in Goa, but now it is in darkness. 

An electricity official attached to the Aldona Section office said, “We don’t look after the electrical maintenance work as it is done by GSIDC and we have no contact with them.  In fact, we had asked the panchayat to look into this issue of illumination of Calvim bridge as we receive calls from locals complaining about this problem.”

When questioned a local panch what action the local panchayat has taken to keep the bridge illuminate, he said, “Everyone is aware this bridge is in darkness. It has been brought to the notice of the concerned people time and again.”

 Local MLA Glenn Ticlo said, the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (GSIDC) is “yet to handover the maintenance work of this bridge to the Electricity Department or the Public Works Department (PWD). GSIDC have been looking after the maintenance of this bride so far. There is currently some technical error here.”

A GSIDC project in-charge Dilip Joshi told Herald that projects such as roads and bridges are maintained by them for the first five years, thereafter they are handed over to the PWD. “I think there was a tender floated for maintenance of lights on all bridges in Goa,” Joshi said.

Another GSIDC project in-charge said, “We will be taking up the maintenance work of the entire stretch on Calvim bridge after which the electricity will be restored. The work has already been tendered and will begin shortly. Some unidentified miscreants have been damaging the junction boxes, cables and electrical fixtures. Rodents are also damaging the cables wires.” 

The Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) Spokesperson, Amarnath Panjikar opined that the local MLA has neglected the maintenance work of both the bridges in his constituency. “Three year ago, the Chorjuem bridge was in darkness for more than six months and after a candle light march, it was restored. Similarly, lights on this Calvim bridge were also restored seven months later, in January this year after a candle light march. The local MLA assured to install CCTV cameras on this bridge but nothing has been done yet,” Panjikar said.

 “This time if lights are not restored at the earliest, we will hold a candlelight march not on the bridges but to the GSIDC office. This government is full of confusion and uncertainties. No one knows who is responsible for the maintenance of this bridge, which is a joke,” Panjikar added.  

Motorists driving on this stretch at night face a grave threat to their life due to the absence of street lights. Commuters complain that the lights on the bridge have not been functioning for the past few months. 

A Calvim villager said that the bridge has become a hangout place for youngsters for drinking and taking drugs. “For the last three months this bridge is in total darkness, which has made it very dangerous for the commuters. Youth sit here to drink; break the bottles and throw it in the nearby field,” informed Charles Fernandes, a resident of Calvim.