Irked with the pathetic condition of the roads in the village, the Calangute village panchayat has threatened to block traffic if the roads are not repaired by August 31.
Calangute sarpanch Anny Fernandes in a letter shot to JICA Project Director, Calangute police and the North Goa Collector has threatened to call for a bandh on September 1, if their demands are not met.
The sarpanch has cited an article in Herald on August 15, 2016 criticising the road conditions in Calangute constituency.
“If JICA project director does not repair this road by August 31, then the panchayat along with villagers will block the entire Calangute village. We will not allow any traffic and it will be called Calangute bandh,” Fernandes said.
Acting sarpanch Joseph Sequeira says that the panchayat has made several communications to the authorities but have received no reply so far.
“The government says they are doing sewerage works but the people are misunderstanding and blaming the panchayat for poor conditions,” he said adding, “The road is dug by JICA project director and PWD so they have to repair it.”
Sequeira also criticised the JICA project director for digging the entire stretch at a time. “They should do one side first, repair it and then take up other side,” he says.
The roads in Calangute are in bad condition due to laying of underground sewerage pipeline and construction of chambers by JICA project director.
The digging in Calangute has even resulted in one fatality last year, when a daily wage labourer lost his life.
The road from St Anthony’s Chapel to Holiday Street has become unmotorable. The potholed road has even led to accidents resulting in injuries.
The situation is similar in Baga, which is also undergoing sewerage work, and at times witnessing floods with heavy rains.
The locals are upset as the village roads were freshly hot-mixed only to be dug up later to lay underground pipes.
Many a time tourists have unknowingly fallen off their bikes after their two-wheelers suddenly landed in such uneven places.
Locals too find it difficult to negotiate the ‘potholed’ road especially at night.
Sushma Naik, a local says, “It looks like the works are being carried out without proper plans as we find the main road dug up or full of potholes in Calangute.”
Another local Ghanshyam Nagvekar says, “The problem is mostly for the students and the office goers as speeding vehicles just splash water on them.”
Calangute MLA Michael Lobo says that all the roads in Calangute were hot-mixed and in good condition before the JICA sewerage work started.
“JICA project director is laying sewerage pipeline and 97 percent work has been completed and I cannot tell them to stop now,” he said.
Lobo stated that the roads would be repaired by September 15. “We are waiting for rains to subside and begin repairs,” he said.
“I assure the people that the roads would be repaired by September 15 and will be completely hot-mixed by October 25,” he stated.
