Team Herald
MARGAO: A senior engineer from the Electricity Department in Verna said that the Public Works Department's (PWD) negligence is responsible for the absence of functional streetlights along the Nuvem section of the Western Bypass. "The streetlights were provided by MVR, the PWD’s National Highway contractor, and were working properly after commissioning. However, the PWD authorities failed to hand over the streetlights to us, despite having availed a permanent connection. They also gave Adani the permission to lay a gas pipeline, and these workers damaged the incoming cable, causing the entire streetlights to go off," said the official, who did not want to be named. “The Electricity Department assisted PWD NH authorities to pinpoint the faults at various locations, but none of them - the PWD, the contractor, or Adani Gas authorities – got them rectified,” he lamented.
Saturday’s edition of O Heraldo reported that the absence of streetlights has led to a series of accidents and raised alarm among Salcete residents. The Nuvem stretch in particular is pitch dark and encourages the dumping of garbage. The dark stretch is also used by anti-social elements and drunkards who tend to break bottles on the roadside, leaving locals who walk along the road feeling unsafe.
"Even during the Prime Minister's visit, we assisted in temporarily fixing the streetlights by providing overhead 10sqmm wire, but MVR locked the panel soon after the visit, and the streetlights remain non-functional," said the official.
“This was telephonically communicated to the PWD’s EE Dattaprasad Kamat and AE Rajesh Gawade on several occasions. Every time, they say that letters have been sent to MVR but they are not responding. Because of the negligence of PWD NH, the Electricity Department is blamed unnecessarily,” said the engineer.