Panaji: Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited (IPSCDL) on Tuesday said that all road and sewerage works in the state capital have been completed, except the 200-mt stretch at Taad Maad, St Inez where the work is still ongoing.
“There is no closure, barricading or open trenching going on in central Panaji, Miramar, Mala, Bhatlem and Altinho, except for the Taad Maad junction as on April 1, and if any such activity is seen, it is not of the Smart City Mission,” said IPSCDL MD and CEO Sanjit Rodrigues, adding that 90% of the work in all spheres has been completed.
“As per the High Court affidavit, we have completed the entire road network. We had said that road painting, traffic signages and rectification due to settlement owing to deep digging would be completed by May 31. We will commence this work now,” he said.
“The mission has ended on March 31 and we have, in the eyes of the Centre, completed all the projects and the finishing stages are on. We have captured the entire financial consideration which was there for the projects,” he said.
He said that 2,800 metres of the road stretch in St Inez has been completed and the work on 200 metres of the road at Taad Maad junction is ongoing. “Though we had said that we would complete it on March 31, we would need some more time because of the complexities of the work there, both in terms of engineering and technology which we have deployed there and in terms of the sheer magnitude of the depth at which we work. We could not do this junction with any technique except for manual excavation up to 12 metres,” he said.
Rodrigues said that 80 borewell heads have been deployed to dewater the site so that “a human being can go down and work in a safe manner”.
“These measures are keeping the site manageable and workable. A comprehensive stability solution has been worked by deep shoring,” he said, assuring that the Taad Maad shrine and the banyan tree remain unaffected.
“The around 200-metres work is one of the deepest points of a sewage network anywhere in the state. Out of 200 metres, 170 metres of the line has been completed. This includes two crucial manholes at the depth of 12 metres each. The work on the remaining 30 metres is on and a further pipeline would be laid,” he said.
Speaking further, he said, “I have not worked on the deadline. I just have to review the work. Now it would be more realistic because we have almost completed most of the sewerage line except the crossing. We will file an affidavit accordingly.”
