Team Herald
PONDA: It has been two months since underground power cables were laid across an area encompassing four village panchayats in Ponda taluka. However, the roads that were dug up for the task have still not been restored to their pre-excavation state, leaving residents of these villages and other road-users frustrated. Several roads across the four villages have now become uneven, and some stretches even un-motorable, with dust flying everywhere.
Local resident Umesh Naik said roads in villages of Kavlem, Bandora, Wadi Talaulim and Durbhat- Adpoi- Agapur were dug for laying electricity cables, but after the work was complete,the roads were simply covered with mud and abandoned. “The roads have not been restored, and locals face hardship. There are also complaints of heavy dust pollution. We residents fear if the roads are not restored, these conditions would pose a big risk to road-users in the monsoon, as it will turn slippery,” he said.
Road-users say that the area alongside their roads have become uneven and make driving more dangerous. “Now that the power cables are laid, the government should also take up road restoration work simultaneously. These trenches were dug by removing the tar from the roadsides. Why can’t the authorities complete the task properly by hot-mixing these stretches,” questioned a commuter.
The villagers also pointed out that pedestrians and school children are subject to dust pollution from the muddy roads, and the piles of stones and mud used to cover these trenches have made the shoulders inconvenient for people to walk on, forcing them to walk on the road, into the path of traffic.
The locals urged the contractor to first level the dug-up portion of the roads, and restore them with tar at the earliest.
