Ashley Noronha
All infrastructure projects need fine tuning by timely robust maintenance schedules to create additional safety for citizens. Well defined markings and signages are a necessity at most utilities in the state.
Citizens risk limbs and lives by improper and lack of maintenance with unsafe and obsolete infrastructure works that have passed their prime. Most storm water drains are without covers, which are broken or do not possess rudimentary safety standards to ensure protection of lives, and require revamping.
The open gutters should be constructed and channelised on side of roads with service chambers at certain distances apart covered with solid cast iron mesh.Old dilapidated fixtures like electric junction boxes are without covers exposing live electrical 220v wires dangerously exposed only to snuff out lives of innocent people coming in contact with them, unknowingly.
These fixtures require timely maintenance and replacement to insulate people from being electrocuted. Old redundant electric poles, which have passed their utility stage and are no longer in service, should be removed. These only lend support for diverse vagaries like hoardings, TV cables, old telephone wires, and other types of advertisements need to be taken out from these spots. Such cables should be routed in underground channels with intermediate servicing vents/chambers with well-defined legible covers embossed on them.
Many wayside open garbage enclosures lack proper safety standards, leaking leachate, decomposing waste etc require proper insulations or barricades so that they do not come in contact with innocent passerby and the spread contagious bugs viruses are contained.
Pavements are in sordid state with many disintegrating underlying base layers of concrete. In some cases, there are no tiles, leading to unstable walking surfaces, especially for seniors, who are often trip on them.
Many beach drowning cases should be curtailed by creating exquisite swimming zones, manned by swimming lifeguards from preventing drowning cases, whereas open areas, with intense undercurrents should strictly be identified and marked as no swimming zones.
So also at waterfalls sites, swimming should be restricted at certain zones for swimming only. So also shallow zones, should be cautioned by appropriate signages. Dangerous roads marred by perennial potholes should be fixed by tarred bitumen mixed with plastic waste, heated at high temperatures. This mixture must be applied to these potholes as this mixture/aggregate has a proven durability and strength of immense long lasting tar, an ideal application. It will prevent the wear and tear of roads. This will go a long way in saving lives.
This method of tarring roads is authentic, practical and guaranteed, ideal for protecting roads and prolonging its lifespan by more than three years, if not more.
Timely trimming of overgrown branches of trees should be undertaken periodically, before the onset of monsoons. The coastal shores should be monitored constantly by drones or floating sensors which will set off alarms of incoming foreign intrusions by mostly fishing vessels and would also prove to be a deterrent to terrorist activities.
Research and development centres are required to be developed to study and monitor new discoveries, followed by reporting, to command and control centres, to monitor or explore new technologies for rapid progress and development of infrastructure.