PANAJI
The High Court of Bombay at Goa on Tuesday directed M/s Lion Engineering Consultants Pvt Ltd, the contractor handling the Porvorim flyover project, to submit an affidavit on Thursday giving a timeline on the ongoing works, which requires traffic diversion and steps to mitigate the associated challenges.
The Court adjourned the matter for further hearing on January 27 taking serious note of alleged discrepancies in the contractor's earlier claims to the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by petitioner Moses Pinto.
The Bench observed that some works of hot mixing road stretches reported as completed were in fact still pending.
During the hearing, dust pollution concerns were also raised with the High Court directing the contractor to include measures in the same reply affidavit.
A report submitted by the Public Works Department on the inspection of hot-mixed roads indicated partial compliance with several stretches needing improvement. “This is an issue the contractor must clarify in the affidavit,” Advocate General Devidas Pangam said.
In the previous hearing, the High Court expressed strong displeasure over a misleading affidavit filed by the contractor regarding the hot-mixing of roads for the project.
Porvorim residents, represented by Advocate Abhijit Gosavi, had submitted photographic evidence highlighting poor road conditions on several stretches between Porvorim and Guirim despite claims of hot-mixing.
In December 2024, the High Court ordered the contractor to complete the hot-mixing and tarring of alternate roads -- created to manage traffic during construction -- within 10 days from December 18, 2024. The contractor had then assured the Court that measures would be taken to mitigate pollution, expedite blacktopping and ensure no new construction would begin until the alternate roads were fully hot-mixed and ready for use.
