NESHWIN ALMEIDA
neshwin@herald-goa.com
Soon after the Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai took control of the Margao Municipal Council and had his councillor Dr Babita Prabhudesai elected as chairperson, both took stock of the bad conditioned Fatorda joggers track used by all Margao and Fatorda residents and announced rebuilding and redoing of the Fatorda track.
“The track had a bad quality rubber surface installed which was pledged to be maintained and regularly repaired by the contractor for a period of five years but miscreants and stray dogs often ripped into the rubber track and it was left with huge holes making it dangerous to jog on. Even worse the electrical fixtures along the track were stolen or broken and never replaced making the track of about a kilometre very dangerous to use. Often there were robberies and muggings late in the evenings and even youngsters misusing drugs along the track making it unsafe for men and women,” explains Jeetendra who uses the track to jog on a daily basis.
But the Fatorda MLA and TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai announced a full renovation of the track and the rubber surface of the existing track was shaved off last month but that was an even bigger problem.
“The SAG-maintained Fatorda swimming pool has been tendered for restructuring to increase its length to meet National Games standard and hence the jogging track will be realigned. Besides, a cycling velodrome and skating rink planned in the Stadium complex means, the existing Fatorda practice grounds have to also be restructured to make way for more facilities, which leaves me a little worried of our handball pitch and its dimensions located in this same facility,” explains a contract coach Benedicto Carvalho while the restructuring and renovation has forced the skating coach to move his operations on to the SAG market complex wherein skaters are trained in pitch dark facilities on hard asphalt.
Traffic Police Assistant Anant Redkar while explaining the problem the incomplete digging works has caused to his entire team, says: “The Ravindra Bhavan cultural avenue beautifications works and the road expansion outside the stadium and the joggers tracks is incomplete and there is road-widening material dropped over there. Massive trenches are dug for the restructuring of the swimming pool and joggers track. This has deprived almost a hundred cars a parking. The FC Goa’s ISL matches being hosted at the stadium these practice grounds double up as parking for the games. Earlier they abandoned the work saying they will take it after the U-17 FIFA World Cup. The SAG have ill-timed these works not taking the police and other security measures into account,” stated the traffic assistant.
Cricket enthusiast Sandip Jadhav is unhappy that the badly timed restricting has left his cricket pitches completely destroyed and that too at a time when DYSA School cricket tourneys are underway which means he has no place for his students to practise.
“The expansion plan is not going to complete anytime soon, then why was the existing rubber coat shaved off in a hurry? asks senior citizen Antoni Costa, who uses the joggers track and is nursing a sore ankle from the unevenness of the joggers track after SAG jumped the gun on its renovation works while the agency appointed for relaying the track stated that it cannot begin work until the realignment of the track is done.
