MARGAO: Raising concerns over the possibility of flooding this monsoon, Utorda residents have criticised the Majorda-Utorda-Catala panchayat for failing to act in the matter.
“Despite an inspection report from the Salcete mamlatdar and several reminders from the office of the Salcete deputy collector and SDM to take immediate action, the panchayat is reluctant to exercise its powers. With Utorda’s roads hot-mixed recently and the level of roads raised considerably, the flooding of roads in the coming monsoon is going to be even more severe. Motorists and pedestrian are going to have a lot of trouble travelling through the floodwater, which is expected to be knee-deep. Many minor unreported accidents have taken place at water-logging spots during the last two years,” said Neves Pereira, a local.
He added that he had made many visits to the panchayat along with prominent villagers from Utorda to request the sarpanch and the secretary to open a drain hole, which was blocked due to the construction of a roadside wall, before the monsoon arrived, but each time, their requests had fallen on deaf ears.
