MARGAO
Public Works Department (PWD) Minister, Deepak Pauskar sought to blame his predecessor as well as fund constraints for not proposing the 2.75 km balance stretch of the Western bypass on stilts.
He also said that it would take minimum one year to complete work on the balance 2.75 km bypass. He further said the government and the PWD will go by the directions of the NGT as regards to construction of the bypass on stilts along the Benaulim stretch.
Pauskar begged to differ when it was pointed out that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has turned out a saviour for the people in protecting the flood plains of river Sal when the politicians had failed to get the balance 2.5 km bypass on stilts.
When it was pointed out to him that just because people had to approach the NGT that a 10-member panel was constituted, which has now recommended construction of 980 metres out of the balance 2.75 km bypass on stilts, Pauskar shot back, “This problem should not have arisen if the previous PWD Minister had done the alignment properly. We did not send the people to the NGT. The PWD had even recommended desilting of river Sal, which has been taken up by the Water Resources Department.”
He added: “In 2019, we had done inspection of the balance stretch along with MLA Churchill Alemao, but the stilt proposal did not find favour because of fund availability. Though the NGT had constituted the panel to study the flood plains, the government has also supported the construction of the 980 metres of the bypass on stilts.”
