PANJIM: The chief minister’s dream to make a futuristic driveway flanked by 2- metre footpaths has put Dona Paula residents in a major bother. The work to make a cobbled driveway from the NIO circle to the jetty has resulted in residents not getting water for the past few days, disrupted telephone lines and major chaos outside their houses, virtually making them prisoners inside their own houses. However, thank God for small mercies, the electric poles have been shifted and there are lights.
“My water pipe is jutting in the air. If it rains heavily we might actually get water,” says Brian Pegado who lives on the road – a small path now – to the jetty.
Today things took an ugly turn as people came out and stopped the machinery that was working there.
Melwyn D’Silva also a resident and one who takes the initiative on this says, that some ten or so days ago workmen descended on the place like a plague of locusts. And this was not the first time that this had happened. Last year too, the road was dug up to lay the sewage lines. And the roads were not tarred till December.
“Last Sunday they cut off our power supply at 8 O’clock and started taking out and laying electric poles. Half of the road was cut, and on the other side the poles were being removed. The electricity was restored only at 9,” he said, “We could not even leave the houses.”
According to him, when he asked them as to what they were doing, they were taking the name of chief minister and Sanjitrhy (Sanjith Rodrigues GSIDC chief) and telling everybody that they were working on the orders from the ‘top.’
“Now our road had become a small lane,” says Brian adding that he cannot even get water through a tanker to his sump as the pipes are not reaching. It is a nightmare.
PWD officials when contacted admitted that this was a problem, and complained that they are having a problem all over the place wherever the work is going on.
Today water was released in Dona Paula and a fountain came up due to the broken pipes.
Electricity too has been given, but through overhead, albeit temporary lines.
“The work will take two months,” says Mir Kumar from the contractors side, adding, “This will be a fully cobbled road.”
“It is a footpath cum road at whatever width is available,” he says with a gutter in the centre, which will have, water pipe, electricity, etc
He also says that the sewerage system from NIO to jetty is done but the rest have to be still done.
