PANJIM: Ward number 24 of the Corporation City of Panaji (CCP) falls in the heart of the State’s capital and is popular because of the Sai Baba temple. The ward is almost a small village and the area is known as Boca de Vaca, situated at the foot of the Althino hill on the North side.
The ward is thickly populated and most of the people here are concerned about the security of the area as half of it is on the hillside and the other half is below the hill. This creates some anxiety for the dwellers especially in the monsoon.
“Our MLA resides in this ward. Most of the developmental works are done like road, water supply, footpaths and paving, but the main issue is of the retaining wall at the Altinho hill where approximately 15 houses are on the slope and more than 30 below it which are in the danger zone,” Pradeep Joshi, a resident, said.
There is need for a strong retaining wall at about five places in the ward with a proper drainage system to divert the water which flow down the hill. Ward councillor Diksha Mayenkar said the work of the retaining wall is on the cards but is pending for want of a NOC from the owner of a property. “Except for the retaining wall, I have fulfilled most of the promises made to my voters” Mayenkar said.
“There are drains which are newly constructed but there is need to construct special drains only to divert the water which comes from Altinho, this work needs to carried out by a department technically fit to conduct such work, for example Water Resources Department,” a resident said.
The ward has 856 voters, but the resident population is over 2000. There are a number of shops, restaurants and hotels in the area.
