Nelson Cabral, Councillor of the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP), has written to the CCP administration requesting immediate repair of the badly deteriorated road leading from Caranzalem Mitra Garden to the Models Kadamba Fern building, which is severely riddled with potholes.
The issue of pothole-ridden roads in Panjim has been repeatedly highlighted by O Heraldo over recent months. CCP Commissioner Clen Madeira has now directed the executive engineer to take the necessary steps at the earliest.
Speaking to O Heraldo, Cabral stated, “It is a very bad situation. The road was repaired twice—once by the CCP and once by the PWD. This was about a year-and-a-half ago. The damage to the road has worsened due to the rains. I have written to both the commissioner and the PWD. The problem is further compounded by a dispute between residents of two buildings. One set of residents is opposed to drainage work that passes in front of their building, which has delayed proper drainage infrastructure.”
He further noted, “The CCP has observed that during the monsoon, water-logging contributes to the formation of potholes. This issue has arisen primarily due to the absence of proper drains.”
In a letter to the commissioner, the assistant engineer explained that the sewage section had earlier laid a sewerage pipeline, for which the road from Models Kadamba to Mitra Garden in Caranzalem was excavated. The road was later reinstated using rubble soling and full grouting. However, without a proper drainage system, water-logging led to the formation of potholes once again.
The Public Works Department (PWD) has now prepared an estimate for constructing a concrete road along the stretch to prevent further deterioration. The proposed project has already been tendered and sent to the government for expenditure sanction. The file is currently under process, and the work will begin once the necessary approvals are received.