PANJIM: The Rachol Jetty is in a bad shape and dire need of maintenance. The jetty has developed cracks and the iron rods sticking out of the cracks can injure the people and damage vehicles using the jetty every day.
Commuters complain that one side of the jetty is covered with moss. “People have slipped and injured themselves while walking down the jetty. Government is not doing any annual maintaining before and during the monsoon,” said a ferry passenger.
On a visit, Herald found that the entire structure has tilted on one side. The ferry operator and driver say they do not know when jetty got tilted. However, they complained, “It’s difficult to dock at the jetty, especially during low tide. Due to the tilt the underside of most low-clearance vehicles hit the concrete when getting on or off the ferry. They blame us. Most of the drivers who travel everyday, take a curved route while taking off from the ferry and driving up the jetty.”
While most people walked over this hazard helplessly, one person tried to fix the problem himself by covering the cracks with a bucket of cement around 15 days ago. Unfortunately, since the tide was high, he could cover only a small patch with his concrete. A bucket of hardened cement and a plastic basin dumped at the side of the jetty stands as evidence of his effort.
When asked about the lack of toilet facility at the jetty, the ferry operator informed that they have a toilet inside the ferry. “People can use our toilet, but they never flush it water after they use. We have to it clean. If a toilet is built at the jetty, no one will keep it clean,” said the operator hinting that most public lack the civic sense to flush toilets after use.
