TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: If the Rs five crore Cuncolim concrete road had turned out to be a nightmare for the motorists over the last nine years, the work of excavating the cement has caused dust pollution in the locality.
In fact, citizens and motorists have complained of acute dust pollution as the cement road is being excavated to make way for a hot mix road.
What has agitated the residents is that while the stretch from Cuncolim Industrial Estate to the Sanvorcotto bridge has been cleared of the concrete, the road is yet to be hot mixed till date, exposing the local residents to dust pollution.
Hot mixing work was scheduled to take place simultaneously, but the delay has caused hardships to residents and motorists for no fault of theirs.
When Herald contacted MLA Rajan Naik to throw light on the delay by the contractor to execute the hot mixing work, he attributed the delay to the material shortage.
However, Rajan said that the hot mixing will begin on Monday, promising to complete the IDC-Sanvorcotto road on priority.
“I have been after the contractor to take up the hot mixing work immediately since the residents and motorists have been exposed to dust pollution”, he added.
Cuncolim-based activist Ronny Dias lamented the ongoing cement excavation work has resulted in vehicular chaos along the Cuncolim market-IDC road.
“The worst thing is that there is no board displaying as to which department is doing the work and to which contractor the work is awarded to. Besides, there are no safety signals and the work is going on in spite of it being mandatory to do so, thus violating the CPWD safety guidelines”, Ronny said.
He has demanded to know how and where the concrete debris is being disposed of and whether the contractor has obtained any permission to do so.
“The Cuncolim Municipal Council seems to be sleeping and is not bothered about the safety of the villagers and motorists”, he added.
Meanwhile, the Cuncolim MLA has said that work on excavation of the concrete blocks from the road on the Dandora-Cuncolim market side will be taken up only after the monsoon.
