Team Herald
PANJIM: Goa is experiencing pre-monsoon showers and most drains in the capital city have remained choked especially in those areas where the Smart City works are currently underway. This has raised a big question on Panjim’s monsoon preparedness. It is almost clear that the rains will arrive before Panjim’s monsoon works will be complete.
The residents have raised concerns over the failure of the authorities concerned to desilt the drains as the drainage network including the ones constructed during the Portuguese regime has been damaged on account of the indiscriminate digging of the city’s roads for the infrastructure works executed under the Smart City Mission.
The Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) has said that it has done “everything possible” by deploying additional manpower.
It has however pointed fingers at the contractors executing the Smart City works.
There is an imminent danger of massive flooding in areas where Smart City work is underway. These areas include the Tonca Circle-Sewerage Treatment Plant stretch, the road from Expert Pharmacy to Madhuban Circle, the 18th June road, from Caculo Mall stretch to St Inez signal, etc.
“The CCP has deployed additional manpower but certainly not enough to reduce the damage which will be done during the monsoon due to flooding. The pre-monsoon work should have been undertaken on a war footing, we are in for a disaster,” Mansoor Khan, a resident of St Inez.
Rupali Nayak, who works as a salesperson at a boutique in Panjim said that the city roads have turned dangerous for pedestrians and motorists and expressed fear that the roads would further turn into death traps during the monsoon.
“Haphazard work executed under the Smart City Mission will result in major flooding in most parts of the city during the monsoon. The Smart City-appointed contractors are busy restoring the road, but are not bothered to clear mud and debris from the clogged drains,” complained Sohit Narvekar, a St Inez resident.
Former Mayor and senior-most councillor Surendra Furtado said, “We can see the authorities are trying their level best to clear the drains. I hope something good happens. I am told by the CCP Mayor Rohit Monserrate that 15 workers are carrying out the desilting of drains in the Miramar area but 15 workers are not sufficient enough, anyway, something is better than nothing.”