Dilapidated Cortalim road raises risk for commuters

PANAJI: It’s a rough ride for motorists, especially two wheelers, on the Cortalim road on NH 66 along which the new Zuari bridge is being built. Although steps were taken after the monsoon to level out the pothole-ridden road, it has deteriorated now, making riding a bumpy and back breaking experience.
Although tankers water the dusty road, its uneven surface is a death trap. The lack of consideration for the common man can be seen in many stretches that are unsurfaced and full of rubble, resembling a dirt track, commuters said. On other stretches only a very fine narrow strip in the middle of the road remains intact, clearly not enough for the two and four wheelers who jostle for space on it. Slowing down and manoeuvring the uneven road, puts lives of two wheelers in danger.

Excuses in the name of bridge work are not acceptable, motorists said. “This cannot be an excuse to damage old roads and leave them in this state for so long. Clearly contracts have been given out without proper planning. In certain parts, there’s a steep decent with no warning and suddenly there’s no road at all,” motorist L Godinho said.
“If I don’t slow down, my car takes a battering. It’s very bad and unsafe for bikes. It’s just a question of PWD delivering better quality roads to commuters,” he said.
Another citizen says public should not be made to suffer considering its their money being used for infrastructure works. “How long do we have to wait for the bridge to get ready. Earlier the excuse was the heavy monsoon. There is no excuse now,” businessman Blaise Cotta said.
Principal chief engineer Uttam Parsekar said traffic cannot entirely be diverted on the newly-built concrete road alongside until work on the bridge overhead is completed. “This is temporary. After work is complete the traffic will be entirely diverted on the concrete road,” he said.
PWD began taking the issue of dangerous potholed and uneven roads seriously and patched up stretches after the monsoon.