Team Herald
PANJIM: Clearly frustrated by incomplete road works and the casual flouting of all deadlines, the High Court has asked Goa’s Advocate General to file a detailed affidavit of a responsible officer, indicating the progress and timelines in respect of the ongoing road works undertaken by the Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited (IPSCDL).
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The Court has also asked to indicate timelines, which were not adhered to earlier, road works not complete in all respects and the reasons for the delay.
Following court directives, IPSCDL Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sanjit Rodrigues along with officials carried out inspection of all ongoing works in the capital city on Friday. Smart City works will be completed by the time the mission ends on March 31 this year, he said.
Hearing Public Interest Litigation (PIL) writ petitions filed by Piyush Panchal and two others and Christus Lopes and two others, the High Court glanced through the photographs of the ongoing Smart City works produced by Advocate General Devidas Pangam giving specific timelines in respect of road works in progress. The Advocate General clarified that some roads which do not pertain to the Smart City works have been dug up to lay electricity cables.
Since the Electricity Department is a part of the State government, the court asked the Advocate General to file on record a detailed affidavit of a responsible officer indicating the progress and timelines in respect of the ongoing road works for the Smart City works.
The Court also asked to submit timelines which were indicated earlier and were not adhered to; road works not completed in all respects and that the government should place on road the reasons for the delay.
The affidavit should clearly stipulate the plan of action as to when the road works will be completed in all respects, it said.
The court observed that though not a part of Smart City works, there was absolutely no tar on the Ribandar Patto-Chimbel junction road, the work which was undertaken for laying sewerage lines including construction of manholes and house connections. The affidavit-in reply should also indicate the timeline in which the tarring will be completed by the PWD works division-II (Roads) by January 21.
The matter has now been posted for further hearing on January 22.
Meanwhile, after inspecting the ongoing works, Rodrigues informed that Smart City works are being taken up in completion mode. Inter-connection of old and new manholes is being taken up at 15 places as part of sewerage works. The connection work has to be carried out while the sewage, internet, electricity and other utilities are live, which slows down the pace and makes the tasks difficult, he said.
“We are working as per our deadlines. Work is going on in full swing. There is some impediment due to city roads and commercial establishments but adequate care is taken of utility services. Work is happening at a good pace. We are in completion mode and work will be completed within the next two months,” said Rodrigues.
Reacting to the frequent digging of roads, Rodrigues said, “There are certain works which can be done only at a particular time. When the entire sewerage line is laid only then interconnection between old and new manholes happens. It does not mean that we had done and completed the road. Even now we are patching the road and that does not mean we have completed the road. That time we had patched the road. At 15 places, a road is dug for inter-connection of old and new manholes in sewer lines.”
