Taps run dry in Calangute ward

TEAM HERALD
bureau@herald-goa.com
CALANGUTE: Residents of one ward in Calangute, which is represented by Calangute Sarpanch Geeta Porob, had to go without PWD water since the last five days due to continuous breakages in the water pipeline during ongoing work along the St Alex Church-CHOGM road.
Underground telephone cables were also reportedly severed by a shovel operator, causing inconvenience to the locals.
The PWD and telephone officials were upset with the carelessness of labourers at the site and a PWD team from Calangute was seen working overtime to repair the damaged water pipeline along the road.
“The sarpanch’s house did not get water for five days due to continuous damages to the water pipeline,” informed a PWD official.
“We have been on the job and have rectified at least five breakages today and the water will be released by Friday evening,” he added.
A telephone official also complained that the labourers had recklessly damaged the telephone cables.
“Our telephone cables have been uprooted all along the road from Calangute till the Saligao junction, even though we had cautioned the labourers, especially the shovel operator, about the underground cable lines,” said the telephone official.
“The cables were damaged in our presence. So what is the use of us standing here and warning them? These workers are least concerned about the cables or pipes, but are only interested in completing their work at the earliest,” the official added.
When contacted, Calangute Panch and de facto leader Joseph Sequeira termed the road development work from St Alex Church to CHOGM road as “haphazard”.
“The road is being done without a proper plan and in a haphazard manner. No retaining wall has constructed all along the road and as a result, the widened portion of the road could be washed away during the monsoons. We never asked for such ill-planned development in Calangute,” said Sequeira.
When contacted, GSIDC officials, including Deputy Manager (Engg) Reshma Pai Kuchelkar, were reluctant to comment on the damaged pipeline and telephone cables, but told Herald that the engineer supervising the works in question was on leave.
“Our engineer, Sandeep Chodnekar, who is supervising the area is on leave and will resume work on Monday,” said GSIDC official Laxman Amonkar.
Incidentally, residents of one area in Nagoa-Arpora were also inconvenienced since the last few days, after their telephone lines went out of order due to works in the area.