A district road at Colva, which caved in following excavation work by the department of drinking water (DDW) to repair a leaking pipeline over a fortnight ago, remains unrestored, posing a serious threat to motorists. Despite repeated efforts by panchayat member Pio Furtado to have the road repaired, the issue has triggered a blame game between the DDW and the public works department (PWD), as well as among DDW technical personnel.
Excavation and repair efforts
According to DDW assistant engineer Mohan Naik, the department had excavated the road on an emergency basis after receiving complaints of water leaking onto the road surface. “After repairing the leak, we filled the excavated portion with mud and waited for it to settle. However, during a subsequent inspection, we found that a large quantity of earth had been washed away due to the leakage. We then used rubble to fill the void, but that too did not resolve the problem,” Naik explained.
Blame game between departments
Furtado said he had contacted engineers and technical assistants from the DDW regarding the dangerous condition of the road. However, he alleged that officials continued to shift responsibility to the PWD instead of addressing the issue. PWD assistant engineer Leslie Colaco stated that the DDW had carried out the excavation work on an emergency basis without informing the department or obtaining the necessary clearance for road cutting. He maintained that the responsibility for restoring the road lay with the DDW. “At present, the damaged stretch is hazardous to human life, and we have requested the DDW to undertake urgent repairs,” Colaco said.
Proposed repairs and concerns
Naik said the DDW plans to take up restoration work next week and intends to fill the affected portion with concrete. However, Furtado expressed concerns over the proposed repair method, warning that unless the cavity beneath the road is properly filled and stabilised, merely using concrete may not provide a lasting solution. The department of drinking water had excavated the road on an emergency basis after receiving complaints of water leaking onto the road surface.
