TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: South Goa MP Francisco Sardinha on Thursday said that the flooding at Sanvorcotto-Cuncolim was man made since the pipe culvert came in the way of smooth flow of water in the rivulet, inundating the river banks.
The MP visited the site where the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC) had constructed the temporary pipe culvert as a road diversion once the existing culvert is razed down to build a new one. “People would not have faced the flood situation if the pipes in the rivulet were removed on time,” he said.
When media persons drew his attention to the shortcomings in the disaster management while dealing with the situation, Sardinha said, “Leave alone disaster management, the pipes in the rivulet caused the disaster, affecting the people.”
Replying to a question, the MP said he is ready to provide relief to the affected people if it falls within the ambit of the MPLAD scheme. “I am ready to spend even Rs 50 lakh, but I will have to find out from the Collector whether flood relief falls within the MPLAD scheme,” he added.
Sardinha requested the government to reach out to the affected residents with immediate relief and assistance.
Meanwhile, former Cuncolim Municipal Vice-Chairperson, Dilip Desai, said that the authorities should immediately take cognizance of the weak Sanvorcotto culvert and initiate action. “The culvert has load-bearing capacity of only 10 tons, but heavy vehicle are plying on the culvert, without any restrictions,” he added.
