After long wait of 60 yrs, a village in Velsao finally gets a road

The residents of the area had been facing hardships as a result of no road connectivity and also no access to emergency vehicles like Fire Brigade and Ambulance.

Former Panch and social worker Roquezinho D'Souza said that the 

villagers had  been struggling with this issue for the last 60 years.

"People have suffered here due to ambulance not able to reach our houses. With no Internal roads, ambulance could only stop on the main roads. We had to literally ferry patients from our area on a chair and walk a long distance to the main road near the three Kings Church in case an ambulance had to arrive. Same was the case with a fire brigade and many a times, during disaster, the villagers had to fend for themselves in the absence of a road and emergency vehicles not able to reach to the doorstep," Roquezinho D'Souza said. 

"It has been around 60 years that we had been demanding a road and in the last few years, many MLAs/Ministers even launched the works but did nothing except for giving fake assurances." 

He said that ZP Anton Vas took up the issue and proposed to take it under ZP funds and obtained the NOC from the landlords in the area. D'Souza said that Vas had shown his capacity to work for the people. 

"While I thank Vas, I must also thank the landlords for having given the NOC and today we have around 150 metres of internal road and I also appeal to the remaining landlords to issue us the NOC so that we can take this road even further into the area. There have been many inspections conducted here and even the name plate for the roads was made, but the road never happened till Vas took it up," said D'Souza. 

Cortalim ZP Anton Vas said the ward was partly under the jurisdiction of both Velsao and Cansaulim panchayat.

"The road was need of the hour and a long pending demand of the people. I have completed the first phase of this road with the help of the NOCs from the landlords. I appeal to other landlords to give us the NOC so that we can complete the entire road," he said

Vas said he was glad that the people were happy after the inauguration of this road and assured that he would take up all the works that are put up before him the people.

Velsao Dy Sarpanch Sylvia D'Souza said the first phase of the road was inaugurated and thanked Vas and landlords for having issued the required NOC without which the road would not have been possible. 

Call for people like Vas 
to be in Goa Assembly 

VASCO: Cansaulim Sarpanch Jose Maria Furtado on Sunday said that it was vital for the people to elect persons like Vas to represent them in the assembly for the sake of development. 

"We have to realise that the road is not made for the builder lobby or to increase the valuation of land but only for the benefit of the people," said Furtado

Many politicians only gave assurance to the people who were struggling here but did nothing, he said while adding, "We have only a few months remaining for the assembly elections and I appeal to the people to stand with Vas and elect him with huge margin and send him to assembly as our representative so that he can take other major works for us," said Furtado. 

Cansaulim Dy Sarpanch Ratnadeep Naik said that Vas had assured the people of this road and completed it in quick time.

"Only Anton Vas can take up works for the benefit of the people and we have seen his capacity and his word. He has kept his word and completed all his promises made to the people and we need such candidates," he said.

Naik added that Vas was only recently elected as ZP with the highest margin in Goa and "this time we will get him elected as a MLA with a big margin."