BASURI DESAI
basuri@herald-goa.com
The Miramar-Dona Paula has been partially opened for traffic, although renovation of the scenic stretch worth Rs 73 crore has not been completed will all the amenities proposed before construction. More than eight deadlines given by M V Rao have elapsed, but the road is still in poor condition.
As a result, it creates havoc on the smaller Caranzalem village road through which traffic is diverted. After the start of the monsoons, the unrepaired road is full of potholes and is water logged which makes it difficult for commuters to drive their vehicles.
At peak hours, huge traffic queues have been noticed on a daily bases on the road. As many as 10 bottlenecks have been noticed on the entire stretch from Miramar to Dona Paula via Caranzalem.
The villagers are now helpless due to the numerous issues that have cropped up due to the poor road. The entry and exit at Dando wado in Caranzalem was blocked for almost two weeks. Hence people could not really move out of their residences to go to the market or for Sunday morning mass. “After we complained, the road was partially opened and that too only enough space for two-wheelers. It was a terrible situation for the people here,” said Jonath Fernandes, a resident of the area.
GSIDC, a state run corporation who engaged the private contractor for the construction of this new road has failed to complete the work within the stipulated time. It has been learned that construction of the sad road is pending and is being delayed primarily due to the lack of funds in the GSIDC kitty. However, Rao has not accepted this as the reason for the delay in finishing the work.
The works of excavation, soling, water bound macadam (WBM) (Grade I, II, III), dry lean concrete (DLC), pavement quality concrete layers (PQC) is in progress in the remaining stretch of road. “For over two years now, the residents of Caranzalem are facing a problem due to the poor road conditions and their voices have not been heard by any authority. Now it has worsened during the monsoons. We only demand that the road be repaired. It is narrow, but a proper road here can still manage traffic,” said Dinesh Sawant, a local resident.
The incomplete 4.5km stretch has not only inconvenienced locals, but also disappointed tourists visiting the Dona Paula jetty. The controversial concretization of the road began in February 2014, more than two years ago. However, the GSIDC is still struggling to complete the task. The project was halted for some time after a High Court order following a Public Interest Litigation claiming it was be wasteful expenditure.
“The existing road through the village at least should have been repaired looking at the slow pace of work on the main road. This is putting us through a lot of inconvenience, especially the senior citizens and children,” said Antonio D’Souza, a senior citizen, residing in Caranzalem.
