Flooding and poor quality of the roads in Goa in the last week have been a nightmare for the motorists. It has been rightly said that the principal duty and responsibility of government is to ensure the safety of the citizens.
According to a report published in a leading national newspaper, in the year 2017 there were approximately 3700 deaths due to potholes countrywide, whereas deaths from terror attacks were only 800. This year in Mumbai, in the last week alone, there were close to 15 deaths due to potholes in the one week of rains.
It is amazing that many road works don’t last for more than a few months.
Road repair very often doesn’t last more than a few hours. This is absolutely unacceptable for a public service paid for by the taxpayer. In contrast, the four-lane highway 17B from Verna junction to the airport junction, that was commissioned by the Mormugao Port Trust is almost 18 years old and is still in an almost immaculate condition. Highway 17 B was laid by the BRO (Border Road Organisation). It is quite obvious that when the emphasis is on quality roads that can withstand very heavy traffic and the monsoon can be laid out. Obviously, the proper design and specifications of the road for the anticipated traffic load, has to be planned by the authorities, ensuring among other requirements, a proper drainage and camber, so that water quickly runs off the road, and does not accumulate on the road surface.
Flooding of the roads in Goa in the last week has been a nightmare for the motorists. Failure of proper design, specifications, and quality control, and lack of accountability, is the cause of poor quality roads
Currently, any item purchased, costing just a few hundred rupees carries a service, safety and performance guarantee/warranty.
Therefore the public must demand from the government that any road work contract that is awarded must have minimum of 5 years performance/Service Guarantee and a penalty clause that if the road deteriorates before that, the contractor will be heavily penalised by legal action and recovery of the money that was paid to him for the contract.
Then only will the citizens of this state and of India get value for the taxpayers’ money that is spent on roads.
This would save thousands of innocent lives and crores of rupees in terms of damage to vehicles and individual health.
