Collector inspects, resolves issues on site to speed up Smart City work

Panaji: As navigating through Panaji has become a challenge with the ongoing Smart City works, North Goa collector Mamu Hage on Friday said she has intensified inspections to ensure that any hurdles are resolved fast. She said all works on internal roads taken up in Panaji and at St Inez will be completed before the monsoon so as to not inconvenience residents.
Admitting that work is progressing at a slower pace than expected, Hage said many practical difficulties are being encountered on the ground, primary among these being the unavailability of old plans of utility lines laid beneath the roads.
“There are a lot of other utility connections running underground. So, when we try to build a drain as per our initial plan, we find that there are other difficulties under the surface. That is why we have amped up our physical inspections. We intend to resolve any roadblocks directly on-site,” said Hage.
She said that unwitting labourers often end up damaging the utility lines due to the old plans not being available, and that they spend more time repairing the damage than completing the actual Smart City works.
“So far as my experience goes, at least where Smart City work is going on, nobody really knows about the old plans. We are finding out a lot of things on the ground. People will not understand the practical problems. Only the labourers or contractors know, so we are now coordinating directly with them,” she said.
The collector said this is the main reason the works could not meet their earlier deadline of March 31.
“Our work ends with asphalting of the roads. But before that, all the other works, such as laying sewerage lines, should be finished. That is also why there is a delay,” Hage said.
The collector also said that though the Smart City road works were planned to mitigate floods, the results may not be seen during the 2023 monsoon.
“One of the benefits of the way we have designed it is for flood mitigation. However, out of total the 8.3km, we have taken up only a small portion. So, in a way, it is not an integrated channel. It will take some time. The full fruits of the project, as intended initially, may be visible only during the monsoon of 2024,” Hage said, while pointing out that an intense monsoon season spares only four to five months each year to carry out any type of work.
She also said the quality of the pipes and slabs used under the Smart City project will be changed when new works are taken up.