Collapsed Orlim bund repaired, to be commissioned shortly

Colva: More than 50mts of the bund that collapsed last June due to incessant rain has been repaired by Goa state

infrastructure

development corporation (

GSIDC

) as part of beautification works and is expected to be commissioned shortly.

General manager of GSIDC, Jude Carvalho told TOI that the estimated loss from the damage was Rs 61 lakh but the contractor re-constructed the entire damaged stretch at his own cost. The total cost of the project is around Rs2 crore. The bund is 780mts in length with water catchment areas on either side providing a scenic view.

Carvalho said that the contractor will hand over the project to GSIDC shortly and GSIDC will hand it over to the village panchayat who will be its custodian. Repairs to the bund was part of the developmental works in the Benaulim constituency undertaken in December 2018 at a total cost of Rs25 crore.

Even before the Portuguese era the bund was manually reinforced every year through local labour but over the years it had eroded due to neglect. Panchayat members had demanded that the government finance the repair work and restore the bund.