Says Rua de Ourem project will be deferred till PWD sewerage line installed
PANAJI
The Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited (IPSCDL) has held the Public Works Department’s (PWD) sewerage section responsible for the delay in commencing and completing the road construction work in Rua de Ourem.
In an update submitted to the High Court of Bombay at Goa on Wednesday, IPSCDL stated that the project will be deferred till the sewerage line is installed.
“The PWD Sewerage department had proposed the installation of a Raw Sewage Pumping Lime from the Pumping Station near Mala Lake to the Old Secretariat along Rua de Ourem Road, which required road digging. However, the department has not yet commenced work on the pumping line. If the concrete road were to be constructed before the pipeline installation, it would either hinder the laying of the new line or necessitate re-excavation, leading to unnecessary duplication of efforts and resources,” IPSCDL explained.
The project, awarded to M/s Bagkiya Constructions Pvt Ltd, was supposed to start on February 1 and finish on March 31.
On the delay of roadwork from Taad Maad to the STP at Tonca, IPSCDL cited unstable soil conditions as a major challenge. “The old sewerage line is causing obstructions, making alignment critical. The loose soil poses a high risk of collapse, necessitating additional shoring to ensure stability,” the agency stated in its reply to the Division Bench of Justice Bharati Dangre and Justice Nivedita Mehta.
Advocate General Devidas Pangam, representing the government, said the laying of the sewerage pipeline has been complicated by the presence of an existing parallel sewerage line and a gas pipeline.
“This has made the work delicate and time-consuming. However, out of 200 mtrs of the main trunk sewerage line, 188 mtrs have been successfully laid. The remaining 12 mtrs will be completed by May, but some work will take additional time. Substantial work is complete,” he told the Division Bench.
The agency also listed projects completed on time, while the court adjourned the matter to April 9, when the petitioners’ are expected to submit their response.
"We acknowledge the observations and views expressed by the High Court and we will work round-the-clock to ensure that we complete the remaining works with deadlines of May 31, 2025 and June 30, 2025 respectively," IPSCDL stated.
At a press conference on Tuesday, IPSCDL Managing Director Sanjit Rodrigues explained the delayed works adding that 90 per cent of the works under the Smart City Mission are complete. He also clarified that works on MG Road, 18 June Road and Pandurang Pissurlekar Road were never part of the Smart City Mission due to existing central drainage issues.
