Dabolim and Porvorim roads repairs by Sept 30, says Kamat

Ponda: PWD Minister Digambar Kamat on Tuesday said that the pothole-ridden stretches of Dabolim and Porvorim will be repaired before September 30, while restoration of damaged roads across the state is expected to begin by the first week of October depending on whether the asphalt mixing plants are ready.

The minister said he received a detailed report of damaged roads across Goa on Monday, with engineers providing a constituency-wise list.

“After going through the report, I have asked PWD engineers to list out the bad roads which need urgent attention. Depending on which stretches have more potholes or which roads are dangerous needs to be addressed first,” Kamat told reporters on the sidelines of the Engineers’ Day programme organised by the Government Engineers’ Association – Goa State, in Ponda.

Explaining the delay in roadwork, Kamat said, “Due to the ongoing monsoon, PWD can’t take up restoration or repair work of the road immediately. Still we have asked two asphalt mixing plants to get ready as PWD wants to start the road restoration as early as possible.”

He said that if it doesn’t rain heavily, PWD will focus on restoring the pothole-ridden Dabolim and Porvorim road stretches on priority as they serve as entry points to the state and are used by thousands of tourists.

“Other bad roads across the state will be taken up in the first week of October or so if the asphalt mixing plants get ready,” he said, adding that plants take around 15–20 days for calibration before producing the tar required for roads.

On the IIT project in the state, Kamat said, “IIT is an asset to the state and children of Goa. If we want to make Goa an education hub, people should not oppose an IIT-like educational project.”

When asked why the government was not taking people into confidence before deciding the site, Kamat said he could not comment as a specific team decides the allotment of land for such projects.