PANJIM: The foot overbridge (FOB) opposite Sharada Mandir School on Jack Sequeira road in Miramar constructed by the Corporation of the City of Panjim (CCP) has become a white elephant.
Constructed through the services of a Hyderabad-based firm on public private partnership (PPP) model in the year 2012 at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore, this steel foot overbridge is lying unused for years and has corroded.
This project was executed by CCP with an objective to decongest traffic at the school; however when it was thrown open for public, the parents of the particular school children complained that the foot overbridge was too high and was difficult for them to climb and they stopped using it.
One of the pillars of the bridge is in the middle of the road and is posing a threat to human life.
The then Urban Development Minister Joaquim Alemao in the Congress government-led by Digambar Kamat in 2010-11 had told the State Legislative Assembly that CCP awarded the contract for construction of footbridge allegedly without following laid down procedures and had also assured the House to initiate action against the erring officer of the City Corporation.
The CCP had reportedly given advertising rights to the firm at the time of executing the agreement but later the CCP refused to grant them permission after which the firm approached the court claiming compensation and the hearing in the matter is still going on.
“The foot overbridge is in a dilapidated condition and may collapse any time. It is unsafe, I urge the authorities to consider dismantling it at the earliest,” CCP councillor Bento Lorena said.
Social Activist Mahesh Mhambre said that the foot overbridge has become dangerous and may come crashing down at any moment.
“It is very risky to pass through that road as the metal sheets from the foot overbridge are falling down in pieces. Is the government and the City Corporation waiting for casualty to happen?” Mhambre questioned.
When contacted, CCP Mayor Rohit Monserrate expressed his inability to take any immediate action since the matter is in Court.
“Right now CCP cannot dismantle the structure. We have to wait for the verdict of the Court. At the most, we can do a structural stability audit and do something in accordance with the law based on the audit report,” Monserrate said.
