MARGAO: Taking Benaulim MLA Churchill Alemao’s caution seriously, South Goa Collector Tariq Thomas said that works by Water Resources Department would be reviewed within a fortnight.
At a meeting convened to discuss works in Benaulim constituency, Churchill cautioned the collector that he could be misled by government officials to avoid taking up works. And the Benaulim said that he has experienced such misleadings personally when he was a minister.
At the meeting, the WRD gave a status report of all the works referred to it including those that were awaiting sanction from the government. However, nobody had the patience to go through that record and kept asking about specific cases.
Pointing out that construction of a nullah in Pedda Benaulim has not been taken up, Churchill sought to know why NOC was required to repair or maintain existing nallahs. He said that he had proposed it a month after being elected as Benaulim MLA.
WRD officials were told to issue show cause notice to the contractor who had undertaken the work of constructing embankment to a pond there as the work has not been completed as yet after two years and the contractor’s excuse of non availability of sand was not accepted.
The Collector admitted that resource is a constraint and that could be a reason why some of the works have not yet started. However, he said in a fortnight the works undertaken by the department would be reviewed.
WESTERN BYPASS: Churchill insisted that a flyover be constructed in Benaulim and Seraulim for the Western bypass failing which, he said, the water from the river would be blocked causing major destruction to the paddy fields there and the people surviving on them.
DANGEROUS TREES: The Collector assured to remove the banyan tree that had fallen near the primary school in Benaulim due to which students have not been getting water for the last one year as the owner of the land has removed only half of the tree.
Villagers had also raised the issue of dangerous trees lying in road widening area already acquired by the government. Panchayat members lamented that they do not have funds to cut such trees as asked to do so by officials.
TOURISM: The Tourism Department was asked to check the land belonging to it used as a parking lot in Colva and take action against the owner of the buses using that area to park the buses and the department official agreed to check the beach cleaning contract to see if the same person can be asked to clean the area around the parking lot.
Various suggestions were made for installation of high mast towers in the constituency which the authorities promised to consider.
ABSENT: As no representative of Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation and Electricity Department were present, matter pertaining to these departments were not taken up for discussion
