Travelling along a stretch of the busy Calangute-Baga road has become a nightmare for two-wheeler riders, as the road has been submerged by rainwater in the absence of a drainage system.
Frosty relations between local politicians and haphazard road-widening work have been blamed for the waterlogged road, which has returned to haunt the affected residents for the second monsoon in a row.
It may be recalled that Calangute MLA Michael Lobo and friend-turned-foe, Calangute Panch Joseph Sequeira, had jointly carried out road widening works from Cobra Vaddo (Calangute) to Saunta Vaddo (Baga), which included a roadside footpath.
The development had been welcomed by locals and tourists, as it facilitated easier access along the busiest road of Calangute.
But the lack of a roadside drainage system has had adverse consequences especially with the arrival of the monsoon. A stretch of the road has got inundated by rainwater, making it difficult for motorists to pass by the road. To make matters worse, a speed-breaker located near the site is almost invisible and many motorists have been caught unawares.
“The road-widening work was done in a hurried and unplanned manner, without considering a drainage system for rainwater,” said Sarvesh Naik of Calangute.
Incidentally, former Calangute MLA Agnelo Fernandes had explored options to have a suitable drainage system in place, but the project drew criticism from Sequeira.
The PWD had no option but to carry out the works wherever possible and to skip the drainage system, thereby failing to address the possibility that the road could get waterlogged during monsoons.
The fallout between the two heavyweights of Calangute, Lobo and Sequeira, has also led to complications among the affected residents in the area. They are reluctant to contact either one of them, for fear of getting into bad books with the other.
When contacted, Lobo expressed his desire to carry out the works through GSIDC after the monsoon.
“I am requesting the GSIDC to work out a permanent solution to the water-logging woes of locals, especially along the Calangute-Baga road. A proper and planned drainage system along with footpath will be constructed from Calangute Association to Baga to solve this problem on the busiest road of Calangute. I will ask GSIDC officials to conduct a survey and finalise plans to start the work soon after the monsoon,” Lobo told Herald.
However, many in the area feel that this delayed work could well have an adverse impact since the construction work could severely restrict the width of the busy road during the next tourist season.
