PONDA: The residents of Ponda are growing increasingly worried about the rampant hill cutting taking place for the four-lane work on the Bethora-Borim National Highway (NH) during the monsoon season. They allege that the work is progressing without adequate safety precautions, putting lives and property at risk.
The locals have voiced their concerns to the contractor and PWD officials, especially as the rainy season has already commenced. They also highlighted a previous landslide incident at Kerya on the same road, which coincidently occurred due to hill cutting for road expansion.
Residents, including John Mascarenhas, Pritesh Gaonkar, and social worker Viraj Sapre, have filed a complaint with the Deputy Collector of Ponda, demanding accountability in the event of a disaster, loss of life or property, accidents, or landslides on the NH as a result of the road excavation during the monsoon. They have requested that the concerned PWD officials, Assistant Engineers (AE), Junior Engineers (JE), and supervisors be held responsible under Section 304 of the CrPC in case of fatalities and road disasters.
Viraj Sapre stated that officials claimed to have permission for the road work, but when questioned about the violation of government guidelines during the monsoon, they remained silent. Sapre recalled the Kerya landslide incident that blocked the NH for several days in the past, causing inconvenience to commuters. The locals have also accused the contractor of not adhering to traffic guidelines under Section 16 of the traffic rules.
The citizens have urged the Deputy Collector to take action to ensure safety measures are implemented and followed during the road construction work.
