Babush flays proposal to dig up Panaji roads again for gas pipeline

Panaji: Mere months after the large-scale digging of city roads as part of the Smart City Mission, a new proposal to excavate the newly-laid roads and footpaths to lay a natural gas pipelines has drawn the ire of revenue minister and Panaji MLA Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monserrate.

Fresh digging will inevitably disturb the existing drainage gradients, weaken structural stability, and generate excessive dust pollution, severely impact public health, the minister said. He said that the work taken under smart city was substandard and in case they again excavate in Panaji city, then the work will be more substandard.

In a letter to chief secretary, Monserrate said that he should fix accountability as he was a chairman of smart city mission and during that time this work could have been taken up.
“I write to formally register my strong objection to the proposed excavation of recently constructed roads and footpaths within the city of Panaji for the purpose of laying a natural gas pipeline,” the minister said further. “The integrity of the city's road infrastructure and drainage systems is critical to maintaining public safety and normal civic life. Any fresh digging of newly laid roads and footpaths will inevitably disturb the existing drainage gradients, weaken structural stability, and generate excessive dust pollution, thereby severely impacting residents, businesses, and public health.”

Monserrate said that the clogging of drains with sludge, silt, and debris from the excavated pits and channels will lead to disruption of existing drainage systems, increasing the risk of flooding and waterlogging, especially during the monsoon, thereby effectively undoing the work done by the CCP in ensuring that the city did not experience flooding in the last three seasons.

“Such actions, particularly on newly developed infrastructure funded by public money, also raise serious concerns regarding administrative prudence, wastage of resources, and lack of coordinated planning among govt departments,” he said.

Monserrate said, “I wish to place on record that in the event permission is granted and any instance of excessive dust pollution, flooding, or waterlogging arises in Panaji as a direct or indirect consequence of such excavation, the responsibility must be clearly fixed. I respectfully submit that accountability should extend to the highest administrative level, and your office be held personally responsible for any adverse impact resulting from such decision.”

The minister said that till the new panel of the Corporation of the City of Panaji takes charge, such work should not be taken up, and once the new panel starts functioning, it should take a decision.

“This objection is made in the larger public interest, with the expectation that due care, foresight, and responsibility will guide the decision-making process,” he said.