Often when you ride through Margao, Fatorda, Borda or Aquem, a good stretch of road will suddenly be scarred by some unplanned road digging, water and slush along the road, a deep cut across the road and then a shoddy job done of filling the cut and the pothole with cement which then caves in and hardens into a permanent depression making it dangerous for riders along that stretch.

“All this is because there’s no proper regulation when an individual takes new water connection. New homes or flats decide to tap the water line network and the road digging is done by private contractors or plumbers and neither the PWD nor MMC does anything about this mess,” explains Edward Barreto who shows one such road digging and road cutting done by a local plumber and a few masons.

Often buildings that lack a proper cooperative society also have issues and individual flat owners take separate water connections which arises a situation of cutting across the road to reach the pipeline.

The Margao Municipality Chairperson Dr Babita Prabhudessai Angle, speaking about this problem, says that this was a key contention to object the Margao ODP because the existing ODP doesn’t have provisions for underground ducts and networks and connections to avoid future road digging.

When asked the MMC what action they take against such illegal damage of the roads which are owned by the MMC though maintained by the PWD, the Chief Officer Y B Tawde replied, “The criteria for any road digging, even for water connection, is to get a permission from the PWD only after which a department will issue you permission for a new connection to the network. So the onus lies on the PWD to oversee these issues.”

Tawde asserted the MMC will prevent any further damage by banning road digging by private parties from May 15 until monsoons end in September. Tawde also washed his hands clean when asked why the MMC supervisors fail surveillance to keep a check on these illegalities to which he replied, “why MMC, anybody can make a police complaint in case of illegal road digging and the MMC will then take up the issue.”

Margao Municipality chairperson Dr Babita brought to our notice a recent Directorate of Municipalities circular stating that all roads in a municipal area belong to the municipality and their upkeep is the responsibility of the municipality.

“Taking the circular into count, I have directed all departments even if the nominal charges are paid by the individual party, to still take a nod from the MMC for any road digging from now onwards, so that there is a public notice in regards to the road digging, all departments coordinate, barricades are placed for the same, people are aware of any traffic diversion and so that safety measures are taken during and post road digging and we hope to streamline this irregularity,” asserted Dr Babita.

Meanwhile Ratnakar Challan, executive engineer of the PWD, Division 06, and Fatorda asserted that there is a nominal fee for road digging that ranges between Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 and only after the PWD gives a nod that the individual goes for permission to the water department to stop or cut the line to add a connection. But Ratnakar admitted that there are no proper provisions to carry our part or a small portion through tenders and hence the repairs are not properly done or often the individual party carries out a shoddy repair of concrete and cement instead of asphalt. Ratnakar also admitted there are chances of illegal tapping of the line or road digging for water connections but until an official complaint is received his department can’t do much to solve this problem since the department is overburdened with road widening works in Fatorda-Arlem.