PONDA: On Friday night, the road passing in front of the Lokvishwas Pratishthan premises, a social organisation dedicated to special-needs children, caved in following the collapse of a retaining wall. Fortunately, there were no casualties as the wall collapse occurred during the night, averting any potential harm to the 200-odd differently-abled students who attend the school in Dhavalim.
Locals reported that heavy rains caused the gutters to choke, leading to water accumulation in the area. This waterlogged condition ultimately resulted in the collapse of the retaining wall and the adjacent road caving in.
Dhavalim deputy Sarpanch Sushant Kapileshwarkar, currently in charge of the panchayat, stated that the incident occurred around 8.30 pm after a spell of heavy rainfall. He mentioned that the Panchayat has inspected the site and will be writing to the Public Works Department, local MLA, and Power Minister Sudin Dhavlikar, urging them to expedite the repair work. The site was left a mess of earth and rubble, and locals said they do not feel safe commuting on the stretch as they fear more of the road may cave in.
PWD Assistant Engineer Mahananda Shet inspected the site and assured that necessary measures will be taken to restore both, the road and the retaining wall.
Lokvishwas Pratishthan Chairman Anup Priolkar heaved a sigh of relief that the incident occurred at night, and that his students were not harmed.
Local panch members Sumitra Naik and Priya Doifode, along with locals Santosh Naik, Sandhya Naik, and Faroj Naik, were also present at the site.
