THREATENED TO DIG…
— Road-digging ban from May 15 is openly violated across Goa.
— Contractors face political pressure to rush works before monsoon.
— Non-compliant contractors are threatened with blacklisting.
— Hot mixing continues during pre-monsoon showers, wasting public money.
— Repeated road digging shows a lack of departmental coordination.
— CM’s circular has little value without proper enforcement.
— 2027 election pressure driving urgency over planning.
— Financial interests suspected behind the project rush.
— Public suffers due to poor quality, and unfinished monsoon infrastructure.
— Rules exist on paper, but political influence overrides governance.
SURAJ NANDREKAR
Panaji: In what can only be described as a breakdown in governance discipline, government departments across Goa continue digging and road works despite a clear circular banning such activity from May 15 onward. Issued with the stated intent to avoid public inconvenience during the monsoon, the circular now appears to be more of a token gesture than a directive, as trenching, cabling, and resurfacing works barrel ahead – mostly under political pressure.
The Electricity Department is still laying underground cables, the Sewerage and Infrastructural Development Corporation of Goa (SIDCGL) is pushing ahead with pipeline projects, and the PWD is carrying out hot-mixing and road repairs – all in the middle of pre-monsoon showers.
What’s driving this frantic activity? A mixture of political optics, electoral calculations, and bureaucratic chaos. With the 2027 state elections already on the minds of Goa’s political class, MLAs and ministers are scrambling to showcase visible development before the rains, worried that monsoon-hit roads could trigger public backlash and dent their standing with voters.
“It’s about perception now,” said a contractor in North Goa. “If roads are broken or works are pending during the monsoon, they fear videos will go viral and the public will blame them. So they’re calling us every day – pushing us to finish fast.”
But it’s not just persuasion. Contractors report being pressured with warnings that if they don’t comply, they could be blacklisted or removed from future tender consideration. Some have even faced threats of delayed bill payments. “We’re caught in a bind,” said another contractor. “Work in bad weather and risk poor quality—or delay and risk being sidelined permanently.”
Adding to the farce, hot-mixing of roads—where bitumen is applied – is happening during or just before the rains. Engineers and experts have warned that such work during pre-monsoon showers is not only technically flawed but a sheer waste of taxpayer money. Bitumen laid on damp surfaces fails to bind properly, leading to cracks and disintegration within weeks.
“Hot-mixing in this weather is pointless,” said a retired PWD engineer. “It’s like painting on a wet wall. It looks fine for a day, then peels right off. Unfortunately, these works are carried out just to show progress on paper.”
A more troubling concern is the chronic lack of coordination among departments. Roads are dug multiple times – first by the electricity department, then by sewerage, followed by PWD for resurfacing. The absence of a unified project calendar or inter-agency planning results in overlapping work missed deadlines, and last-minute execution right before the rains.
The Chief Minister had earlier defended the road-digging ban, saying it was issued to protect public interest and reduce monsoon-time hardships. But when departments ignore the circular, and political pressure trumps procedure, the public sees it for what it is: a rule without enforcement.
While a passing mention is often made of urgency being driven by developmental goals, few deny that financial incentives – such as the timely completion of tendered projects – also contribute to the political rush. Even if not explicitly stated, these undercurrents are well-known in contractor circles.
Ultimately, it’s the public that suffers. Come monsoon, dug-up roads turn into muddy messes. Drainage lines clog. Resurfaced patches peel off. Commuters face unsafe roads and traffic snarls, while the state prepares to spend even more to redo the same work post-monsoon.
Goa cannot afford to repeat this cycle every year. If governance is to be taken seriously, circulars must be enforced, departments must coordinate, and contractors must be supported – not threatened – into doing quality work.
The political class, too, must understand that rushed projects done in the name of elections often backfire when they fail in plain sight.
As the 2027 elections loom large, Goans are watching. It’s not just about finishing roads before the monsoon – it’s about whether the state can finish them right, and whether politicians will choose real development over showmanship.
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PWD: “No New Digging, But
Existing Cuts Must Be Refilled”
Team Goemkarponn
Panaji: The PWD Principal Chief Engineer clarified the department’s stance on the ongoing road works despite the government’s digging ban from May 15.
“The circular says ban on any more digging or cutting of road but whatever is cut has to be refilled,” he said.
Regarding hot-mixing during pre-monsoon showers, he added, “We stop hot-mixing when it rains. Till May 30, hot-mixing will continue in patches.”
He emphasized, “We will continue the work and stop when it rains,” responding to concerns over quality and safety during the monsoon.
