The rains have been insistent in Goa in the past couple of days. Herald-HCN has presented reports of roads in a pathetic state in places as far as Guirim, Bicholim and Valpoi. Roads have disappeared due to the rains. This begs the simple question why this is so and where does the money allocated for constructing and maintaining these roads go. People are struggling to travel on these roads, the traffic jams add to the inconvenience.
It was a subject that seemed to flip peoples switch on. Bharat Kamat said that every citizen of India pays tax- GST. He said “I expect this tax to go towards nation building. In return, every Indian expects at least a basic lifestyle. Our roads since 15th August 1947 bear a testament to the failure of every govt to provide even the basic comfort to us. Going to the market, going to work, going to hospital, going anywhere is not only back breaking but life threatening. The damages to the vehicle and injuries/ death caused erode the GDP tremendously. The Western countries are far ahead of us because they use the taxpayers money judiciously. I end by saying the state of the roads depict quality of life.”
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Savio Figueiredo said it was a vicious cycle with corruption and neglect at all levels. Right from the time when a road was first laid out, he said the ISI specifications and correct design were given the way by and from then on the road degrades immediately sometimes even before the monsoons. He said “From there on, it’s all the way down hill with superficial work, use of poor quality materials, replacement of tar with diesel and complete lack of supervision. So unless the contractors and the Government engineers are held accountable, I see no end to this miserable situation”
Harish Malvankar a resident of Panjim said he did not understand why the government was taking road tax. He said “If anyone doesn’t pay taxes, they are fined. Now what should be the fine for the govt?. Tax money should be used for public purposes, and not for their own luxury lifestyle.”
Upesh Morajkar spoke of what happened to his car driving on the roads of Goa. He said “It was just yesterday that I was travelling to Panjim and when I reached the Merces Junction, I was astonished to see the state of the road and suddenly I heard a clunk in my suspension and when I stepped out, there was a spring hanging. Will the Govt. cover my costs for the repair? Where is the money from the 300cr Central allocated fund..? Goa wants to know.”
He may keep asking but that is an answer no one will know. The poor quality of work was highlighted by Ashley Vales. He said “It is quite surprising roads built even one or two months cannot withstand even the slightest of rain. One classic example is the road below the approach road to the new Zuari bridge at Cortalim.”
People may continue to express their anger but the authorities don’t seem to really care. When will they start doing what is expected of them?. That is a question even the most powerful astrologer may not be able to predict.
