Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the 6.6-km-long six-lane Link Road connecting NH66 to the Manohar International Airport at Mopa, a road that now provides seamless to and fro movement of airport traffic bypassing the village roads. The development should bring a huge relief to locals and families in the area who have been victims of traffic congestion and mishaps for the past several years.
Gadkari’s visit to the State comes at a time when Goa is reeling under the weight of a short spell of rainfall more in line with what the State has been witnessing in the past years. The visit assumes significance because, while Gadkari does the honours of throwing open the crucial link to the airport, he also gets this opportunity to see what development has done to places like Ugvem, Varkhand, Nagzar, Kasarvanem, Chandel and Mopa in Pernem. He gets to see the lives of people falling apart while the tune of development is merrily playing in the background.
Gadkari also gets to see the state of the infrastructure which was inaugurated recently with so much pomp, the water-logged concrete highways that have slumped, and developed cracks and potholes, not forgetting the much-talked-about smart city that continues to sink despite the smart roads and drainages. It's all there to be seen.
Down south, Gadkari can get to see how 90-year-olds, farmers, senior citizens, women and students plead with folded hands to the powers that be to save their farmlands as the mighty wheels of development threaten to bulldoze fields and khazan lands for the new Borim bridge.
But beyond the high-stakes projects and the despair that surrounds them, there is a hope that Gadkari will see the grim picture of the countryside. Gadkari's visit raises hopes because Goa and Goans have held the Union Minister of Transport and Highways in high esteem for being a people-centric leader who often speaks his mind.
If we may recall, when the second arm of the new Zuari bridge was inaugurated on December 22, Gadkari made a specific mention that the aim should be to minimise accidents. His words did touch the hearts of every Goan at that point because our roads were like deathbeds. Sadly, nothing much changed. There are over 1,200 accidents reported as of May this year with around 150 people losing their lives. Gadkari must be informed that the roads we are provided are not even a figment closer to his vision of “global standards”. We are left with wobbly, uneven and cracked versions of desi highways that in some places have become death traps to motorists.
We recall the time when Gadkari was not too pleased with the highway works while he spoke at the Zuari Bridge inaugural. He minced no words in pointing out that politicians are indulging in “Lakshmi Dharshan” with contractors, in a veiled reference to the practice of politicians in power taking commissions from contractors for government projects. It is here Gadkari had said Goans deserve better and safer roads while announcing Rs 100 cr for the remediation of accident-prone black spots.
Gadkariji, the time is come for evaluation and accountability. There is a need to conduct quality audits and invoke liability clauses. Heads must roll, and all those who are hiding under a veil of corruption must be exposed. While you have inaugurated the Link Road to the airport, Goans hold a flicker of hope that Gadkari would expressly be that link between people and the reality they live in.
