Goa, Nov. 9 -- Tension gripped Assagao on Friday after locals stopped what they alleged was illegal road digging being carried out in the village by a contractor identified as Adhyay. Led by Sarpanch Hanumant Naik, the villagers later lodged a complaint at the Anjuna Police Station against the JCB operator involved in the work.

According to locals, the Public Works Department (PWD) had dug up the same road last year to lay a water pipeline for a new plant at Sonarkhet. However, the plant reportedly remains non-functional after the pipeline was found to be faulty.

Villagers recently spotted new pipes being dumped at various spots and had raised objections with the panchayat, which wrote to concerned departments opposing further digging....