Promises to give the people decent roads before the start of the monsoons were shouted from the rooftops, but as history goes, barking dogs seldom bite.
The monsoon combo is usually rains, a cup of hot chai and bhajiyas. But, this year, the menu looks a little different with the Goan government serving us an unwilling combo of rains, the good ol’ potholed roads and traffic congestion!
As the monsoon clouds got heavier, some of the roads in Panjim got a quick and commendable makeover which was enough to shut a few mouths.
But, everybody knows that makeup does not conceal forever, and soon, the downpour of rain revealed the substandard and haphazard quality of the work that had been carried out.
Over time, a misleading trick that we, the common folk, have fallen for is that the people chosen to represent us are doing something great, or even a favour by providing us with our basic necessities.
But, the truth is that getting something, once you have been starved of it, automatically makes one grateful. Not realising that it was something that we were always entitled to, and the very reason the MLA was elected, to begin with!
Very often, people end up cursing the rains, but the rains were here before any of us were. And, the only thing that changed is human interference and disruption of nature.
During the monsoons, the trees are bound to fall, now more than ever, because their roots have been disturbed by all the repeated construction and rectification of mistakes, time and again.
It’s high time the government realizes that roaming around the state, with just a little bit of cement in their pockets, is not enough to conceal the cracks in their corrupt system.
With the constant flooding of the roads, the real struggle begins when the uneven construction of the road has left scope for a pond of filthy water to form right in the middle of the road.
Be it simply being splashed by this dirty water, or having to walk through it, is this supposed to be the definition of a so-called ‘smart’ city?
They say that seeing is believing. But, not in Goa! Because here, we say a short prayer and move through the flooded road hoping that the Almighty will guide us to safety.
Another notable wonder is the loose gravel lying all around, with only the eroded patches of the road being tarred. Why not leave the patchwork to the school students who are sure to do a better job anyways?
As the vicious cycle goes, people were first inconvenienced by the bad roads, which were then dug up and left open for longer than they should have been. And finally, the roads were hurriedly and haphazardly hot mixed and today, can be classified as ‘bad roads,’ again.
The question remains, how difficult could it possibly be to get a job well done with all the money and resources at your fingertips? And, why couldn’t the road roller take a few more rounds and level the road?
Well, as for today, all we have is a brand new rollercoaster experience along all the uneven roads that are sure to damage vehicles and bring on an early onset of spondylosis.
Maybe if not anything else, the next list of false promises, made during elections, can include free back massages because, practically speaking, they are the need of the hour!