Roads were dug to lay underground power cables
WHERE’S THE ROAD: The nearly 1-km key road stretch from Saligao to Pilerne industrial estate lies in complete disarray after being dug up for underground power cable work.
Photo Credits: Agnelo Pereira
MAPUSA
Residents of Saligao are once again staring at a rough monsoon season, as the crucial road leading to the Pilerne industrial estate remains in shambles after months of excavation work.
The nearly one-kilometre stretch from the Saligao junction up to the Saligao seminary has been dug up ostensibly for laying underground electricity cables. However, more than a month after the excavation, the road remains largely unrepaired, causing immense inconvenience to commuters.
Daily users of the road are battling thick clouds of dust and dangerously slippery surfaces, worsened by broken water pipelines damaged during the digging.
“It’s a nightmare to drive or even walk here. Every day, we are breathing dust, and the road is like a mud track,” said Robert Menezes, a local resident.
Adding to the woes, passenger buses have started avoiding the stretch altogether, leaving senior citizens and students struggling for transport.
“There is a shortage of water because the pipelines were damaged during the excavation work. On top of that, public transport is being diverted to the Chog-M road, causing major inconvenience to people due to the lack of available buses,” said Libby Madeira, General Secretary of the State Congress Mahila.
Ironically, the road had received a fresh coat of hotmix just this January, but was dug up again within weeks to lay the new power lines – a move that has highlighted the glaring lack of coordination between government departments.
Last year, the roads around the same area were in the news for their pothole-riddled state during the monsoon, drawing sharp criticism towards the Public Works Department (PWD) and the local panchayat.
Many fear history is about to repeat itself, as the monsoon is now barely a month away.
Saligao Sarpanch Lucas Remedios, however, assured residents that the matter is being actively pursued.
“The work on repair of the road will be taken up as a priority. There is still one month left for the monsoon to arrive. It will be done before the monsoon,” he said.
Yet, with large parts of the road still dug up and the underground cabling far from complete, locals remain sceptical.
For now, it appears the residents of Saligao may once again have to prepare for a rough and precarious rainy season.
