MARGAO
It must have taken over half a decade for the government to illuminate the Aquem stretch of the Margao ring road project, courtesy of the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC) for executing the long-pending project.
While Power Minister Ramkrishna Sudin Dhavalikar with Margao MLA Digambar Kamat launched the ring road illumination with much fanfare, travellers on the Comba ring road the Arlem-Nuvem stretch of the Eastern bypass have a simple question to ask “ how many more years will it take for the government to illuminate these two important road stretches on the periphery of the commercial capital?
The Goa Public Lighting Duty Act promised to light up the Comba ring road as well as the Eastern bypass Arlem-Nuvem stretch last year. When the Power Minister launched the Aquem ring road illumination, he did shed light on the pending proposal to illuminate the Comba ring road and the Eastern bypass. But, the Margao MLA did not make any mention to illuminate the Comba ring road within a set timeframe, raising questions about whether travellers on this important ring road and the bypass will have to continue to travel without street lights.
When The Goan called up Power officials to shed light on the status of the Comba ring road and Eastern bypass illumination project, an official pointed out that estimates prepared by the department are awaiting the government’s administrative approval.
Sources pointed out that while the Eastern bypass, between Arlem and Nuvem junction, is likely to cost around Rs three crore, the Comba ring road illumination may cost another Rs 35 lakh.
There’s, however, a catch “ who will fund the illumination work, whether the PWD will take up the project as a depository work or the Power department will execute it under the street light illumination scheme.
A Power official pointed out that the PWD may have to fund the project as depository work if the department has proposed to the Electricity department to take up the illumination work. “As per the street light illumination scheme, the Power department is mandated to take up street light illumination when resolutions adopted by the local bodies proposing illumination are sent to the department. If the PWD has sent any proposal, then the PWD may have to foot the bill,” the official said.
He added: “The Goa Public Lighting Duty Act has been enacted to create street lighting infrastructure along the roads. However, the process of setting up illumination will be set in motion only if the local bodies and government departments make the necessary requisition to the Power department with resolutions.”
Even as the Power department and PWD may have to resolve the issue of funding the Comba ring road and the eastern bypass illumination, travellers on these two crucial road stretches may have no option but to drive on these roads in pitch-dark conditions for no fault of theirs.
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The Aquem ring road stands illuminated from Tuesday. But, the road is closed to traffic daily from dusk to dawn to stop waste dumping along the stretch.
Will illumination pave way for reopening of Aquem ring road?
MARGAO
Will the illumination of the Aquem ring road by Power Minister Ramkrishna Sudin Dhavalikar pave the way for the reopening of the route for traffic after sunset?
The Margao Municipal Council, which has been enforcing the South Goa District Magistrate’s order on the closure of the Aquem ring road from dusk to dawn since November, has no clue how to go about closing the road post-illumination of the ring road.
The District Magistrate had closed the Aquem ring road in November following a plea by the Margao municipality to stop miscreants from dumping waste along the road.
The illumination of the ring road stretch on Tuesday has thrown up a moot question “ whether the closure of the road will be lifted since the road is now illuminated or will it continue to remain closed despite the illumination.
An official wondered whether illumination of the road at tax payer’s money will serve any purpose if it remains closed after dusk every day.
A Margao municipal official, however, told The Goan that since no instructions have come from the senior civic officials to reopen the Aquem ring road for traffic after dusk, civic workers will continue to enforce the road closure. "We will take the call as and when instructions come from the higher-ups,” the official added.
The MMC workers were bracing up on Wednesday evening to head to the Aquem ring road to enforce the road closure as usual. These workers have been manning the barricades since November, and are even believed to have come face-to-face with irate motorists late in the night.
MMC workers now appear a worried lot as they fear that motorists may confront them to open the road for traffic as the route is now illuminated. “We will have no explanation to give to the road users if they question us for the road closure when the road is illuminated for the benefit of the users at taxpayer’s money,” remarked a worker.
