FRIDAY, JULY 05, 2024
VITHALDAS HEGDE
PANJIM: For a long time Ponjekars have been compelled to bear the brunt on account of the digging of manholes for laying sewerage lines in the capital city which pose a grave danger to the motorists, particularly two-wheeler riders and pedestrians as well. But now these manholes have turned out to be a nightmare for contractors undertaking these works under the Smart City Mission as they are facing challenges of high water table and ingress of water into these manholes.
On account of constant digging, the width of the road has considerably narrowed, which has resulted in traffic congestion, often leading to face-off between motorists as only one vehicle can pass at a time.
The main reason for this traffic chaos is that contractors undertaking works under Smart City Mission have been digging eight metres below the ground to lay sewerage lines and are facing challenges of high water table and ingress of water into the manholes.
At two places, one at opposite St Inez cemetery and another at Mala, the contractors are facing challenges to lay new sewerage lines.
“Every time we dig, water starts gushing out, making it difficult to work. It takes a lot of time to dewater the area and strengthen sand,” complained a contractor, narrating the difficulties he is faced with.
Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Ltd (IPSCDL) is also aware of the difficulties faced by contractors and is in the process of adopting a methodology to arrest the collapsing of sand and ensure that the ongoing works are completed by May 31 this year. The IPSCDL is laying about 26.85-km high-density polyethylene pipes (HDPE) for laying the sewer network in the capital city. The longest 9.67-km pipes are being laid in Ribandar, which had no sewerage connections till date.
But the huge challenge is working on the main sewerage trunk line from Don Bosco Complex to Caculo Mall and to Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP) at Tonca, which carries the entire sewerage load of the capital city to the STP. This line is nearly 1 metre in diameter and comprises the most challenging manholes of nearly eight metres in depth with 1.2-metre of water table, this is akin to constructing a major structure in the river, the contractor said.
It is also learnt that crisscross underground connections and non-availability of data with the government departments has also added to the woes of the IPSCDL.
When contacted, IPSCDL managing director and chief executive officer (CEO) Sanjit Rodrigues, IAS, said, “This is the first time that Panjim is witnessing a comprehensive revamp with regards to its utility services. Our major focus is to replace the erstwhile sewerage lines under the Smart City Mission. It has been a huge exercise to work on this with many challenges along the way. But we are working to overcome them effectively."
Prachita Mayenkar from S S Mayekar General Stores, St Inez said, “As customers are facing problems we have changed the timing of the shop. Now it is open from 6 am to 3 pm. We open at 6 am. We face a lot of problems due to dust pollution. There is a very big drop in the number of customers visiting our shop as they do not find a place to park their vehicles as the main road has been narrowed due to ongoing digging work.”
Another shop owner from St Inez, Madan Bugde said, “I have three workers who clean the shop daily but it appears that the shop has not been cleaned for six months. There has been a drastic drop in the number of customers visiting my shop. I had put up plastic strip curtains to prevent dust but had to remove them as customers complained dust was accumulating on it. Currently, two events are underway in the city due to which a heavy traffic jam is being witnessed on the road in front of my shop. My customers do not find a place to park their vehicles. We all in our shop wear masks as we are unable to tolerate the dust flying in the air.”
