After nearly four months of public complaints and a glaring lack of action, the Public Works Department (PWD) finally began road repairs in Mapusa on Sunday evening. The move came following mounting public frustration and what sources say was a direct intervention from the Chief Minister’s office.
The most pressing issue—a large road depression near the popular ‘Abreu Typing Institute’ on the main district road (MDR)—was finally patched, bringing relief to commuters who had been navigating the dangerous dip daily. Locals noted that the repair came not as part of routine maintenance, but only after top-level pressure forced the department into action.
However, the response remains partial. Just 200 metres from the repaired stretch, another major pothole remains untouched. Residents and road users have criticized the PWD’s piecemeal approach, warning that such selective repairs offer only temporary relief and fail to address Mapusa’s broader road safety challenges.
In a related effort, the PWD has also begun hotmixing work on a 500-metre stretch between Bodgeshwar temple and Mapusa. This area had long been a hazard, with broken tar and loose gravel left over from incomplete road-widening work. Ironically, repairs began under cloudy skies and light rain—raising concerns among experts about the long-term durability of asphalt laid during wet conditions.
While the recent repairs mark a welcome step, residents stress that Mapusa deserves a more consistent and accountable infrastructure strategy—not reactive fixes driven by political pressure.