Panaji: Tourism Minister and Porvorim MLA Rohan Khaunte on Monday demanded an independent vetting of the recommendations submitted by IIT and IIM experts on issues concerning
the Porvorim elevated corridor, saying it was necessary to prevent similar mistakes in future.
Khaunte made the demand after a high-level meeting convened by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.
“We have to agree that when the bridge was designed, there were issues that were not taken into consideration. PWD should accept this so that corrective measures can be taken,” he told reporters after the meeting.
Khaunte said the PWD had decided to consult experts from IIT and IIM, but insisted that their recommendations should be independently vetted by an authority with expertise in transport management.
“This will ensure that there are no mistakes in future,” he said.
He said the assurances given at the meeting would be monitored daily and the progress reviewed after a week. Depending on the outcome, Khaunte said he would seek another review meeting with the CM.
The Porvorim MLA also said the concerns of residents who had endured prolonged inconvenience during construction of the corridor could not be disregarded by citing National Highway norms.
He also called for accountability over the preparation of the project’s Detailed Project Report (DPR), saying the fact that the officials involved were no longer with the PWD should not prevent responsibility from being fixed.
