CANACONA: A considerable portion on one side of the NH 66 at Padi, Canacona has sunk due to substandard work and if left unattended can pose continuous hazard to the unsuspecting commuters.
Due to multi-fold increase in vehicular traffic in the recent years and due to the persistent demands of locals, the PWD highways had in recent years widened the road by over a meter at some places at Padi and Karmalghat.
However, a closer look will reveal that at most places the road widening has been done in patches and does not meet the standards specified in PWD manuals for roads of national highway construction.
As the stretch of road on NH 66, from Gulem in Canacona till Margao falls under the jurisdiction of PWD office at Fatorda in Salcete, the supervision and other control required is absolutely missing, and one can hardly see a PWD supervisor at the site when the work is in progress.
Recently, some accident-prone curves at this stretch where widened by a contractor who was allotted the tender. However, later he was accused of dumping road construction material on the side of this busy highway, causing inconvenience to the vehicle operators. The waste left after carpeting the widened roads was left without being cleared due to which many unsuspecting two-wheeler riders have met with accidents injuring themselves and also damaging their vehicles. The contractors too do not employ supervisor on the site and when asked for the work schedule, which specifies the usage of material and details on how the work is to be carried out, the same could not be produced by the contractor. Villagers accuse this procedure leaves a lot of scope for undertaking substandard work to maximise profits to the contractors.
About one metre portion that has been widened in recent years at Padi and nearby areas running into about a kilometre has started sinking and locals have alleged the usage of substandard material and poor workmanship while executing the work.
It is also observed that while undertaking the road-widening the PWD is still follows the age- old method followed in the eighteenth century called Macadamised roads, which was designed by John Macadam where a single-sized crushed stone layers of small angular stones are placed in shallow lifts and compacted. A binding layer of stone dust is spread on top of it and after due rolling, it is covered with black aggregates and finally carpeted with bitumen.
However, over the years the weight of load-carrying vehicles have increased multi-fold and road engineering has also seen a sea-change. Unfortunately, as the PWD is still using the age-old methods to widen roads, the roads which are under constant heavy traffic and pressure when motorists apply breaks, sink due to weak foundation and improper drainage.
When questioned over the allegations levelled by locals over the depression noticed at Padi and Karmalghat the PWD highways officials agreed this happens due to excess weight of vehicles plying on this route where the lateritic rubble underneath breaks leading to the depression of the road in that area.
Officials also point that henceforth they have been instructed to use granitic stones in place of lateritic stones and confirmed that the affected portion would be repaired in couple of days.
