Team Herald
PANJIM: Panjim Mayor Surendra Furtado has objected to road cutting works in the city on the eve of monsoons.
Furtado has asked the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) Commissioner to revoke the NOC granted to the Public Works Department to carryout road cutting works.
In a note to the Commissioner, the Mayor said, “The Commissioner may be aware that we have got cleared about 90 percent of the drains and gutters in the city through our workers so that the city is not flooded during the monsoons. In view of this position, it would be in the fitness of things that no permission for any road cutting is given to any party/person till the monsoon is over.”
Furtado sent the note in view of the road cutting permission granted to PWD for carrying out works of replacing the water pipeline under the JNNURM.
The replacement of the water pipeline has been underway under the JNNURM since 2014. The Central government scheme was thereafter discontinued, however, with special consideration for Panjim, the Centre had asked the works to be completed in 2015.
Sources said that until last year, PWD has completed less than 50 percent of the works and now the project has to be sponsored by the State government.
Furtado said that keeping in mind the approaching monsoon, permissions for all types of road cutting and development works have been denied. “I have requested that all such works should be started once the monsoons are over in the month of October and completed by April of the next year,” he added.
