MARGAO: A water pipeline burst near Junta Quarters in Pajifond, Margao, resulting in the wastage of thousands of litres of water on Wednesday afternoon.
The situation exacerbated as there was no immediate response from the Junior Engineer at the Public Works Department (PWD), leaving the water gushing out for over two hours. Frustrated residents in the area were left without water and expressed concerns over both the wastage of this valuable resource and what they perceived as negligence in maintaining the Junta Quarters.
The burst pipeline was reported around 1.50 pm, and local councillor Raju Naik (Paklo) made several attempts to contact the concerned junior engineer to address the issue promptly. However, the junior engineer failed to respond to these calls, prolonging the water wastage for more than two hours.
Councillor Naik further accused the junior engineer of neglecting his task of monitoring the area and timely maintenance at Junta Quarters. He demanded the immediate transfer of the engineer from the office due to alleged negligence. However, the situation improved when Margao MLA Digambar Kamat intervened, and informed the Public Works Department about the incident. The PWD team rushed to the site and successfully repaired the damaged pipeline. This swift response helped mitigate further water loss and provided relief to the distressed residents.
Occupants of the Junta Quarters have raised concerns about the lack of proper maintenance of existing government buildings, which has led to fears about their safety. Issues such as inadequate water supply and building maintenance have prompted some occupants to leave the quarters.
Local councillor Naik alleged that the concerned junior engineer rarely supervises or assesses the prevailing situations, despite the hardships faced by the occupants.
