PONDA: After spending days in restoring the two damaged pipelines at Curti, the PWD engineers have roughly estimated that the concrete base work by the National Highway road-widening contractor is likely to cost around Rs 30 lakh.
However, the big question that is doing the rounds is who will be held responsible for the work or bear the cost of restoring the pipelines – the contractor or the PWD?
According to locals Rocky Dias and Sandeep Parkar have questioned the skill of the engineers involved in the restoration working and claimed that such a huge amount of concrete was not required at all.
The locals have raised a question as to who will bear cost whether the PWD or the Contractor. However, the PWD officials preferred to remain silent on issue, while some said it natural calamity.
Some officials said to prevent further landslide they used concrete foundation which was criticised by some engineers in Ponda.
People also raised questions as to why the 900 dia could not be installed within three days using concrete pedestal or pillar foundation or the minor truss bridge at existing level.
Some engineers in Ponda admitted that it was possible to restore the 900 dia pipeline on minor truss bridge at its existing level but this option was ignored.
They further admitted that the laying of the pipeline on concrete pedestal at existing levels could also have taken less time compared to the bend pipes which took another four days.
The engineers said that the CI 750 dia and DI 900 dia pipelines can be repaired. However, the MS pipe used for 900 DI pipes, which needed welding, took more time. Had the DI 900 pipeline been repaired with same pipes, replacing them with MS lines could have saved time. The Ductile or Caste Iron lies don’t required much welding and can be joined easily.
Meanwhile, the residents were in for some good news as the second 750 dia pipeline restoration work was completed.
