NH-17 at Canacona showing symptoms of malady

The newly constructed NH-17 at Canacona, from Char Rasta to Maxem, and christened after former Chief Minister late Manohar Parrikar Sea Front Highway, has started showing symptoms and signs of a malady, which is very common across Goa and India. 

If one travels from Char Rasta to Rajbhag, a distance of approximately three kilometres, the asphalt coating has washed off and leading to potholes formation, thus showing the quality of work on this major project, costing crores of rupees.  

Hardly, not even a year has passed and the top portion of the road has started deteriorating. What could be the reason for this? It could not withstand the fury of the first monsoon rainfall. If so, the concerned contractor and its engineers should have been alerted and this problem could have been averted. 

Here starts the question of corruption. To make a handsome profit they sacrifice the quality of the material used, which was not up to the mark. The blame game now will be between the contractors and engineers. The concerned contractor and engineer are to be held responsible and accountable by the National Highway Authority of India.

When a project of such great magnitude and importance is being realised, its viability should be for at least 10 years, if not more. If it deteriorates, the contractor and engineers are to be held solely responsible for accountability and lack of transparency as crores of rupees are at stake. They should be made to rectify from their own pocket. 

The contractors and engineers have to thank their “stars” and COVID-19 pandemic due to which the inter-State transport service have come to a grinding halt for almost six months. If not, there would have been much bigger pond like craters on the highways, accumulating a lot of water and making driving precarious and rendering the highway unmotorable. 

Let us all hope and pray that the Atal Setu and the other bridge coming over the Zuari River and the highways connecting them will be safe for us and posterity and not get washed away until the next monsoon gets going unlike the NH-17 at Canacona.