Councillor to protest bad Curchorem roads

Margao: Fulfilling his earlier threat, Balkrishna Hodarkar, a councillor of the Curchorem-Cacora Municipal Council, announced his decision to observe a token one-day hunger strike on Friday to protest the deterioration of roads in Curchorem, which have remained in deplorable condition for over three years.

The protest comes at the end of his 15-day ultimatum to the authorities.

On Sep 11, Hodarkar warned of going on a protest fast if repair work was not initiated within 15 days. With no improvement in the condition of the roads so far, Hodarkar decided to execute his protest fast plan. He said he would sit on a hunger strike below the old municipality building at Curchorem from 8am to 8pm.

“The situation has become unbearable for residents,” Hodarkar said. “What we’re witnessing is not development, but systematic torture of the people who elected us to serve them.”

The roads, ravaged by extensive sewerage work that began nearly three years ago, have turned into a nightmarish landscape of crater-sized potholes, loose stones, and completely washed-away stretches. The situation is the worst at Xeldem, where residents have silently endured the agony. A Xeldem local described his daily commute on a two-wheeler as “knives stabbing into my spine with every pothole”.

Residents told TOI in an earlier report about developing chronic back pain, neck problems, and joint issues from navigating the bone-jarring terrain every day.

Incidents of damages caused to vehicles have become routine — suspension systems failing, shock absorbers breaking, and tyres getting punctured regularly.

Waterlogged potholes have become invisible death traps for motorists, especially two-wheeler riders. Despite the subsiding of rainfall, contractors have so far shown no urgency in addressing the mess they’ve created. Large sections remain completely unmotorable, forcing residents to take lengthy detours or risk their safety on treacherous road stretches.

Hodarkar said that he would continue to build pressure on the authorities concerned until concrete action is taken to restore the roads to motorable condition.