Goa to import tar from Gulf nations to fix roads: Minister

Panaji, Oct 3 (SocialNews.XYZ) On the backfoot over the deteriorating condition of Goa's roads during the monsoon, state PWD Minister Dilip Pauskar on Thursday said that a decision had been taken to import at least 50,000 metric tonnes of tar from the Gulf countries to mend the pothole-ridden roads.

Pauskar said that one of the key reasons for the bad condition of the roads in the state was the poor quality of tar used for laying them.

"Goa will import 50,000 metrics tonnes of tar or asphalt which is needed to fix the roads... We will get it either from the Gulf countries, Dubai, Iran, Iraq ... wherever it is available," Pauskar said.

The Minister said that the state government had formally requested the Indian Oil Corporation and Bharat Petroleum to source the shipload of tar for Goa's roads.

When asked about the excessive deterioration of roads in the coastal state this monsoon, Pauskar said: "Looks like the quality of tar used is at fault".

The Congress in Goa has already demanded a vigilance probe into the Rs 6,000 crore spent on building and maintaining the roads in Goa over the last five years, even as the National Democratic Alliance ally, the Goa Forward Party, has demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the poor quality of roads in the state.

Goa's potholed roads have come under close scrutiny this year, when the state witnessed its highest rainfall in about a decade, at nearly 155 inches. The potholes on the roads also inspired a music video which went viral last month, embarrassing the government.

Source: IANS