MARGAO: The Shadow Council for Margao (SCM) team on Thursday stopped the construction work of improvement of nullah from Gujarati Samaj to Supreme Park infront of Maruti Mandir along the eastern bypass at Margao.
The SCM charged that substandard work was being executed by using low-grade materials and a negligible amount of cement. SCM convenor Savio Coutinho, a civil engineer himself informed that black metal powder/dust was being used instead of sand which was not certified by the department. "And the proportion of the concrete mix was the worst anyone can imagine. The concrete mix utilized had just one gamela of cement, while eight full gamelas of black metal and five full gamelas of powder/dust was used, which is far away from the specifications of the prescribed mix", Savio lamented.
He further said that as per prescribed conditions, cube samples have to be collected but the same was not being practiced on-site. "The workers innocently informed us that a separate concrete mix is prepared for the cube samples, and the cubes are marked as taken from different places where the contractor's works are in progress. Even the presence of a qualified supervisor of the contractor was not seen, which is a condition of the contract. Instead, the entire work was left to the mercy of unskilled labourers", SCM charged.
The Shadow Council for Margao member Laurel Abranches demanded an inquiry into this shoddy work and further demanded that the quality control department step in and ascertain the quality of the work executed. "Till a proper report on the work is not prepared, the execution of the work should be suspended", he said.