Team Herald
PANJIM: Raising grave concern over the recent two incidents in just last seven days wherein loaded heavy vehicles fell into pits dug for sewerage line work undertaken under the Smart City Mission, residents of Panjim have said that the responsibility must be fixed and all required safety and precautionary measures should be taken to prevent such accidents in the future.
The first incident occurred when a truck laden with laterite stones fell into a half complete pit at St Inez injuring four labourers while the second incident was reported on Friday wherein a night soil tanker fell into a similar pit at Tonca, Miramar. Fortunately, in this incident, no one was injured.
Jovito Lopes, a resident of Fontainhas said that the Smart City works are executed by different State agencies in an ‘unprofessional’ way and that there are no proper plans in place.
“The contractors are not smart at all. While undertaking sewerage works, contractors are damaging the water pipeline and there is leakage…water gets absorbed and soil becomes loose. And when the heavy vehicles pass on these stretches then with the pressure, it falls in the pits. I feel only contractors are to be blamed as they are least bothered to repair the water supply pipelines. They should be taken to task,” Lopes said.
Jack Sukhija, another resident of Campal claimed that lack of co-ordination between the government departments are hampering and delaying the completion of Smart City works and added that the safety of citizens and labourers engaged in various Smart City works should not be compromised or overlooked by the authorities.
“People, who are in-charge of these works, are absolutely bereft of the correct way of doing things, and their acts of omission and commission are criminal in nature. Smart City officials as well as the big wigs of the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) are also to be pulled up, not forgetting the ‘inefficient MLA’ of Panjim,” said Armando Gonsalves.
He said that it would be good if the government forms a citizens committee comprising of reputed architects, engineers as well as social activists, to help in proper planning and execution of Smart City works adding that they should be empowered to take all decisions in this connection including pulling up erring officials who fail in their duties.
Expressing shock over the statement made by CCP Mayor Rohit Monserrate, former CCP councillor Patricia Pinto questioned as to why the Mayor is washing his hands off and expecting the Smart City officials to take action against the contractors for the alleged negligence.
“Smart City officials will not do anything as they have only approved works from the financial point of view. It is the CCP, who should be in-charge and monitor the works from the safety point of view as well as co-ordination between the different agencies. The Corporation and its elected representatives are responsible to the people who have elected them to power,” Pinto said.
“The Mayor should stop passing on the buck and get to work immediately before any more incidents take place. Of course, the Mayor and Councillors will be pulled up by the citizens if there is flooding in the City this monsoon. Let all the crores of public funds spent on such works not be wasteful expenditure,” she added.
CCP Mayor said that the Smart City officials have been asked to have safety audits of all sites where Smart City works are being undertaken across Panjim city.
“We are just one of the ex-officio members on the Smart City board; we have nothing to do with it. It is the Smart City officials who ought to ensure that safety protocols are followed by contractors and we have written to them in this regard,” Monserrate had said.
