PANAJI: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has ruled out the possibility of a bypass at Bhoma, citing the agricultural and khazan nature of the land, and assured villagers that the National Highway expansion project would affect only four roadside houses, and none of them would be left without compensation or rehabilitation.
"Only those houses whose numbers are mentioned in the gazette notification will be touched. No portion of the temple will be demolished," Sawant reiterated during the meeting at the Secretariat today, where PWD officials presented the flyover blueprint and land acquisition details.
The meeting comes amid ongoing resistance to the four-laning of the NH-748 stretch between Bhoma and Old Goa, a project sanctioned by the Central government at a cost of Rs 1,060.21 crore. The villagers have been opposing the flyover proposal for over two years and have repeatedly demanded a bypass instead, citing socio-cultural disruptions and threats to religious activities.
“We don’t want to demolish a single house. If any house is being affected, show me. I’m ready to change the plan,” Sawant had said in an earlier meeting at Sanquelim last Friday.
While today’s meeting helped clarify some aspects of the plan, villagers insisted they would take a final stand only after seeing the physical demarcations on site. "PWD officials are expected to visit Bhoma on Tuesday to explain the on-ground implementation. We will decide after that," said one villager who attended the meeting.
Another local said, "We’ve been told no homes or temples will be touched, only four roadside structures. But we need formal communication from the Centre to confirm this. Assurances alone are not enough."
