Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant on Friday said the government has decided to black-list 27 contractors and issue show-cause notices to 30 engineers due to poor conditions of the roads in Goa.
The Chief Minister spoke to the media after chairing a high-level meeting on road infrastructure with officials from the Public Works Department (PWD), Electricity Department, and Water Resources Department (WRD), in the presence of the Finance Secretary.
Chief Minister said he has instructed the PWD to issue directives to all contractors to repair any roads damaged during the Defect Liability Period (DLP) by the deadline of November 30, 2024.
“Until the repairs are completed, the licences of the contractors responsible for these roads will be temporarily suspended, and they will be barred from participating in any new projects,’ he stated.
In addition, the Chief Minister said, he has directed that disciplinary action be taken against officials who have failed to ensure the quality of road construction and maintenance.
“Both minor and major penalties will be imposed on negligent officials. Engineers who have failed to submit both long-term and short-term project estimates, as previously instructed, have already been issued double show-cause notices, and further action will follow,” he said.
The Chief Minister stressed that all roads must be made motorable by November 2024, attributing the current challenges to years of mismanagement.
He reassured the public that contractors would be held accountable for monitoring and maintaining roads throughout the DLP, and both engineers and contractors will be held liable if any road fails during this period.
Furthermore, CM said, the PWD will soon issue a notification regarding increased rates for road-cutting activities.
CM stated that once a road is constructed, there will be a strict waiting period of 3 years before any road can be dug up again.
“Hefty fines will be imposed on stakeholders who violate these rules. Permission to cut or alter newly constructed roads will also incur heavy fees. The state will also prioritize the immediate repair of 1,200 kilometres of roads, which have been damaged by various infrastructure projects, such as the laying of underground power cables, water pipelines, and sewerage systems. These roads fall outside the DLP,” he said.
As part of the Government’s effort to streamline road infrastructure maintenance, the Chief Minister announced that all infrastructure-related departments—such as those responsible for electricity, water supply, and sewerage—will be given a one-month window to complete any pending works on the stretches of roads scheduled for fresh asphalting.
This timeline will also be made available to the public to ensure transparency. To address past issues of mismanagement in inter-department coordination, the Government has introduced a GIS-based system that will coordinate road construction and related activities. This new system will ensure that essential works, such as digging for water pipes, electricity lines, or sewerage, are completed before the roads are constructed, thereby preventing unnecessary damage to newly built roads. All concerned departments are being onboarded with the GIS-based system. All Executive Engineers, Assistant Engineers, and Junior Engineers who have held positions in the Roads Division for five years or more will be reassigned to positions outside the roads division. This measure is being implemented to ensure the rotation of personnel and to introduce fresh perspectives and accountability within the department.
