NT Reporter
Margao
PWD minister Digambar Kamat on Thursday said that there is urgent need
to audit both major and minor bridges, following repeated complaints from citizens about weakening structures.
“I will convene a meeting with the engineers concerned to get updated reports on the status of Goa’s bridges, and subsequently, I will initiate the process of structural auditing for these structures,” Kamat said.
Nearly 2,000 bridges and culverts have not been audited since 1970. In 2024, the PWD awarded contracts to firms including Mumbai-based Structwel to audit 1,000 bridges using drones, underwater testing, and radar.
The demand for audits intensified after accidents, including the 2017 Sanvordem footbridge collapse and the 2022 Zuari bridge crash that killed four. The controversy over Borim bridge repairs has further fuelled opposition claims the government is “waiting for a calamity” to justify new projects.
