MARGAO, May 13 -- Team Herald

More than two months after the High Court issued directives on illegal roadside structures along highways, implementation remains mired in controversy as village panchayats and the Public Works Department (PWD) engage in a bureaucratic tug-of-war over responsibility.

Several Salcete panchayats have formally requested PWD's Roads division assistance for technical support in surveying illegal structures. Local authorities argue that while these constructions fall within panchayat jurisdictions, the land itself belongs to the PWD, making joint action necessary.

"The PWD cannot simply wash their hands of responsibility when the property in question was acquired by them specifically for road construction," rema...