Only highways extensively damaged last year: Goa minister

TNN | Updated: Jun 16, 2020, 11:35 IST

During the 2019 monsoon, the PWD came under severe criticism for the pothole-ridden roads across the state

PANAJI: High quality repair work has been carried out on damaged roads last year and it will ensure that citizens do not face difficulties in commuting on the roads this monsoon like they faced in 2019, PWD minister Deepak Pauskar said on Monday.
He said that it was mainly national highway roads which saw extensive damage to them during the 2019 monsoon, while village roads hardly saw any damage to them.
“Last year, most of the roads damaged were national highways and not village roads. We have completed hotmix carpet for most village roads. The rest will be done from October. Citizens will get to travel on good roads, we have ensured that. Goa receives heavy rainfall, due to which the soil softens and damages roads. This time, the works have been quality works, and this year the damage will not be like last year,” he said.
The minister also said that the austerity measures implemented by the chief minister did not mean it put a stop to all works. Pauskar said that only because of the Covid-19 situation, ministers were given a budget limit for spending upto October 2020.
“It does not mean work won’t be done. When it comes to new works, only essential work will be taken up. I admit that payment of money to the contractors is pending. But it is not pending from recent time, but since 2012 when mining stopped in Goa and earnings dropped. There is some shortage of funds, but our CM has planned to provide us funds gradually. He has set a limit, and hasn’t told us not to take up work,” said Pauskar.
He said that work on all roads, water supply and sewerage works for which contracts were allotted by the PWD in 2019 will continue in the state.
“For the national highways, we have allotted a contract for Rs 150 crore. Its payment has been made by the central government. The work has started from May. The entire stretch of national highway will be taken care of by this contractor for a period three years. By November, all the remaining national highways will also be patched up wherever there is damage,” said Pauskar.