Team Herald
SIOLIM: Around 200 residents from Siolim gathered on Saturday to protest the poor condition of local roads, expressing their frustration with the Public Works Department (PWD), the local MLA and other officials. Residents voiced their anger over the continued neglect of Siolim roads, which have been in disrepair for years.
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Although the roads were briefly restored in 2022, they quickly deteriorated again.
The protesters blamed PWD engineers for the dire state of the roads, highlighting how the past two months of heavy rainfall made the situation unbearable. Many residents faced accidents or were caught off guard by hidden potholes filled with water.
VDC convenor Joaquim Barros criticised the PWD for its lack of commitment to maintaining Siolim roads. He mentioned that when questioned at the gram sabha, JE Pednekar failed to provide satisfactory answers, reflecting poorly on the PWD’s efforts. Barros warned that criminal proceedings might be initiated against the engineers due to the injuries caused by the hazardous road conditions, which also pose a significant risk to children.
Victor Fernandes, another VDC member, questioned where the tax money was being spent. “We pay taxes diligently, yet we’re left with roads in terrible condition. Is the government’s sole purpose to collect taxes and ignore the needs of the people? We demand to know where our road tax money is going and why we don’t have the good roads we’re paying for,” he said.
Siolim Biodiversity Committee Chairman Amrut Agarwadekar condemned the corruption involved in road construction, noting that while roads used to last longer, they now deteriorate quickly under the current ‘commission government’. He cited the recent assembly session, where it was revealed that crores of rupees had been spent on temporary pothole repairs using jet machines, with no accountability for the misuse of public funds.
Local activist Fatima Fernandes questioned who should be held responsible for the poor road conditions, as the PWD claimed it was not involved in road widening and the local MLA distanced herself from the issue. “The local MLA tells us to file RTIs and take legal action, but we don’t want to be forced into that. We want safe, well-maintained roads with proper drainage, not wider roads that are poorly constructed,” she said, condemning the MLA’s ‘neglect’ and demanding immediate repairs.
Other speakers, including Gregory D’Souza, Anthony D’Souza, Brian Fernandes and Kapil Korgaonkar, also spoke. They called for urgent road repairs and warned of escalating their protest, including filing cases against engineers for dereliction of duty and criminal negligence.
