Four months after order, Corlim road awaits repairs

PANAJI: Four months after the PWD issued the work order to a private contractor to repair and resurface a 1km stretch of a road in Corlim, the work remains incomplete with the contractor claiming that asphalt is not available. Irked with the delay, panchayat members have approached PWD minister Deepak Pauskar to demand that PWD should blacklist the contractor.
PWD awarded the work of constructing a protection wall, storm water drain and repair of potholes to Vrindavan Engineers & Contractors for a sum of Rs 50.9 lakh on January 17 this year. The 1-km stretch of road is located near Dhulapkar hospital in Corlim and was supposed to be completed within a period of five months.
“The residents have made repeated followups, but the contractor has no concern for us,” said local resident Tome de Souza.
“All the rainwater enters the shops and homes. There are no drains and retaining walls, so the water flows inside our homes,” said a resident of Bomkar Chambers.
Local panch Mushtaq Shaikh said that he met Pauskar seeking the minister’s intervention in the issue. He also met Cumbarjua MLA Pandurang Madkaikar regarding the same issue. “The contractor must be blacklisted. How is it possible that the road works which were awarded in January can be delayed because the contractor cannot get hotmix?” said Shaikh.
Dr Manoj Dhulapkar said that the roads in the ward have not been repaired for more than three years. “This road should have been a priority, otherwise students and patients will suffer,” he said.