Team Herald
PONDA: Villagers and members of the Wadi-Talaulim panchayat on Thursday alleged that the PWD was doing sub-standard work on the construction of a retaining wall along a roadside field in the village by using white powder from a quarry as a replacement for the more expensive construction sand.
Locals said that using crushed granite or stone powder would yield a sub-standard wall that will not last even two years.
The locals alleged that a 100-meter-long stretch of the retaining wall was already constructed over the past few days using the white powder in place of sand. “When sand is available now, why does the PWD use crushed powder? Such a wall would collapse in a short time as the use of powder does not strengthen the structure,” said the villagers, calling for a probe into the project.
The 200-meter-long safety wall is being constructed along the roadside at Wadi, Talaulim, and will also serve to protect the agricultural land from cattle attacks. The locals expressed fear that the weak structure would not last, and was simply a waste of public funds. When contacted, a PWD official said he had already directed the contractor to stop work and use sand to construct the wall. After this, the contractor brought sand for the construction, which can also be seen dumped at the site. The official claimed that the material dumped at the spot was not powder, but sand. A one-metre high retaining wall is being built at a cost of Rs 30 lakh on the existing wall, to keep stray cattle out of the field.
