PANJIM: It has come to light that the Public Works Department (PWD) has a Disaster Management Cell. That being so, why are Goa’s roads in such bad shape?
Road conditions in Goa are so grim that lives have been lost and there has been an upheaval vis-a-vis the pathetic condition of the roads. The PWD Minister’s frequent changes in deadlines to address the pothole issue has further frustrated motorists.
Herald has now found that by PWD Minister Deepak Pauskar’s own admission, the department has a disaster management cell, which looks into such issues and recommends action.
In a written reply to questions raised by MLA Nilkanth Halarnkar during the monsoon session of the Assembly, on whether the disaster management team constituted in PWD is active and the role of the Disaster Management Committee/Cell till date, the minister had said, “Yes, the Disaster Management Committee (DMC) consisting of nodal officers (JEs/AEs/ EEs) nominated by the Department of the respective areas and they provide men and machinery whenever the Dy Collector calls and asks for the same.”
When Herald contacted a top PWD official for further details on the disaster cell, he said, “Where is it, we haven’t seen it. The minister must also reply, who are the members of the committee.”
He added, “Where was the disaster management cell when the Khandepar pipeline broke down or the potholed road surfaced? There is no disaster management, it is just a disaster in PWD.”
The minister, however, had further said that the departmental manpower, tools and plants are kept ready to face any disaster.
While there has been a demand of filing criminal cases against officials and contractors for criminal negligence disrupting public life and leading to fatal accidents, the minister had said, “The necessity of filing criminal cases has not arisen.”
However, none of this is practically seen on the ground, either to manage the potholes or come to the rescue when the water pipeline burst at Khandepar and Tiswadi and parts of Ponda taluka went dry for a fortnight.
Painting a rosy picture of pre-monsoon works, the minister had said that regular inspection of roads for pre-monsoon maintenance works are carried out in advance and proposals are processed in time.
Also, he had added, utmost care is taken to clean and dig the drains wherever there is any water logging. “However, due to first rain the existing drains get choked up. The trees which are dangerous are removed and pruned under directions issued by the Mamlatdar/Dy Collector under Disaster Management Act 2005.”
“Some stretches of MDR, SH, NH get submerged under rainwater due to low lying areas, and due to ribbon development in either side of road,” he had added.
