the goan I network
MARGAO
The decision to invoke the Railway Act 1989 to acquire land for the track doubling project in Goa has been taken with the Railways in no mood to abandon the project in the State. The project has reached the stage of laying the double track on the Kulem-Margao stretch.
Senior Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd official told The Goan that the Railways had no option than to go for the invocation of the Railway Act to get the much-needed land on the Margao-Vasco stretch of the double tracking line, with the project coming in for strong opposition from the people coupled with the fact that the land procurement policy had no takers.
Railway officials told The Goan that while the project has progressed to a great extent on the Kulem-Margao stretch, with the Railways gearing to lay the double track in certain sections, strong opposition to the land procurement proposal, more so along the Cansaulim, Pale, Issorcim, Dabolim, Chicalim and Vasco had virtually delayed the project, even going to the extent of derailing the project.
“The Railways had in its possession acquired property all along the Kulem-Vasco stretch, within which the second track is being laid. We had gone in for procurement of additional land in some areas in order to provide better rail amenities,” the official said, adding that the offers made to the land owners for the procurement of their land for the track doubling project had many takers along the Kulem-Margao section.
Take for instance, the agitation against the double tracking project in Sao Jose de Areal. Though the Railways had planned to acquire over 1,300 sq mts of land in the village for the project, the Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd has gone ahead with the double tracking project passing through the village since the Railways already had the required land in its possession. Railway officials, however, said the RVNL wanted the additional land in order to develop another station in the village, adding that given that Railways will now invoke the Railway Act to acquire the 1,300-odd sq m since the villagers and the land owners had been strongly opposed to the land procurement.
Taking note of the objections raised to the double tracking project by ruling party MLAs along the track, a senior Railway official said the project can be scrapped only if a decision is taken by the Railway Board, adding that the Railway authorities are all keen to complete the Hospet-Vasco double track project at the earliest.
“The project has been progressing at a fast pace on the Karnataka side of the border. The project has nearly touched the Castle Rock side and the authorities want work on the project on the Goa side to gain pace and momentum at the earliest,” the official added.
Incidentally, Minister of State for Railways, Suresh Angadi has been repeatedly demanding that the Goa government intervene and make available the required land to take the track doubling project estimated to cost around Rs 3,000 crore to its logical end.
