The onset of the monsoon is just three weeks away, which means that the State machinery has just three weeks to prepare for the season and complete all pre-monsoon works. Amongst other concerns, a major problem for Goans has been the spike in road accidents during the monsoon. Bad road engineering has led to fatal accidents in the State and a queue of blackspots awaits the government’s urgent attention to be rectified.
What adds to the woes of the people of Goa is the unscrupulous/extensive digging of roads across the length and breadth of the State. For the last couple of years, either on account of laying sewerage lines, underground cabling, gas pipelines, laying of water pipelines, or laying of cables for broadband connectivity, there has been continuous digging and re-digging of the roads in the State. When the local authorities are questioned, the municipalities and panchayats point fingers at the district administration for granting permission to carry out the work. However, the local governing bodies are equally responsible, as they issue the permissions to carry out the digging within their jurisdiction and are also paid the requisite fees for the same.
As reported by O Heraldo, the residents of Bandora in Ponda taluka have voiced concerns over extensive road digging before the monsoon for sewerage and underground power cabling projects, citing significant dust pollution and exacerbated road conditions. The locals pointed out that the recent unseasonal rainfall last month choked the cross drainage and further underscored the challenges posed by the ongoing road excavation and the threats it poses if the works are not completed before the end of this month.
On the other hand, incomplete pre-monsoon works have become a cause of worry for the residents of Salcete as the drains and storm water channels are still choked. They have called upon the district disaster management authority to conduct a comprehensive survey of low-lying areas that experienced waterlogging during the previous years.
In the port town of Vasco, a councillor from the ruling panel accused the municipality chairperson of laxity in executing the pre-monsoon works and has raised concerns about flooding during the upcoming monsoon season. Mormugao in the past has witnessed flooding in the low-lying areas, as well as landslides in the hilly region of the port town.
The situation in other towns and villages is no different, with Panjim being the most prone to flooding and disaster during the monsoon. The capital city, which is in the quest to become Smart City, is yet to complete its work even as the special purpose vehicle, Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited (IPSCDL), has committed to complete the works by May 31. Panjim city which attracts tourists from across the globe is in a mess with literally the whole city being dug up, in addition to missing traffic signages. The situation is similar across the State wherever such digging works are being undertaken. In absence of signages and traffic wardens, Panjim has already claimed two lives within months, and if the pre-monsoon works are not carried out in time then the capital city is heading for a disaster.
The State should not forget the Raia crusader, 72-year-old Pedro Antonio Gauncar, who died after falling into a clogged and overflowing stormwater drain along the highway between Pepsi Junction and Our Lady of Livramento Church in Arlem on July 5, 2022. The septuagenarian lost his life as the Raia Village Panchayat did not pay heed to his letter explaining the dangers of the open stormwater drain and demanding desilting before the arrival of the monsoon.
The most important event of elections, polling, has been completed and the authorities ought move beyond, and within the remaining period plan and execute works before the advent of the monsoon.
