The Surla village main bridge is in a dilapidated condition for several years. Some portion of the bridge has already collapsed. This bridge is forty years old and every day over a thousand vehicles pass over this bridge. The villagers are demanding the government build a new bridge.
According to villagers, this bridge is the entry and exit point of their village. They would like to avoid the fate of the bridges in Sanvordem and Curchorem which had collapsed.
Ashok Gaonkar a villager said “the bridge was in the danger zone and could collapse at any movement. Our panch member have raised the bridge issue in the village Gram sabha and also informed our local MLA but no one is serious about it. Now all villagers in Surla would like to demand for a new bridge. It’s a need of the hour. If this bridge collapsed suddenly, then we would not have any other option. This bridge is entry and exit point in our village. The number of cars visiting our village has increased with tourists coming over”.
Another villager, Sunil Gaonkar said “ If this bridge collapses then our connection to Goa will be snapped. In a week almost twenty thousand vehicles are passing through this bridge. We demand to the Government to take immediate action”,
Another villager Gunu Bhiva Gaonkar said the supporting poles of the bridge and some plastering parts of bridge had already collapsed. He said “ There is no other path to enter and exit in our village, besides this bridge. We have taken the resolution in the gram sabha and submitted the file in the road department, long back. Till date they have not taken any action.”
