OLD GOA
Clearly not satisfied with the presentation made by PWD Minister Nilesh Cabral to the media on the Bhoma highway expansion, locals of Bhoma stated that it lacked clarity.
The locals have vowed that they will not allow the highway expansion through the village at the cost of their temples, culture and their identity.
These decisions were made at the meeting that was held by the locals at Bhoma on Tuesday, to voice their dissatisfaction to the presentation made by PWD minister.
Speaking at the meeting, the locals condemned the statement of Cabral, wherein he stated that it is impossible to build a bypass road and that the highway expansion would be done through the village itself.
“Any person would understand that it is actually impossible to expand the highway road through the village. And it is possible to build a bypass,” a local said.
Further, another local Rajan Naik said the presentation lacked the clarity as far as the impact it would have on the temples and the houses which are existing along the entire stretch.
“When we had proposed bypass road, the minister himself had said that by just drawing lines it does not make a plan, then how come the same minister makes a presentation by just drawing lines without showing the impact on the structures,” Naik questioned.
He appealed to the minister to come to the village and explain the plan instead of fooling the people by making the presentation to the media.
A local Kishor Naik said the Bhoma locals have been stating time and again that the highway expansion cannot be done through the village.
“The then opposition leader Manohar Parrikar and MP Shripad Naik had also supported our stand, and that time they had supported us while assuring that they won’t allow the highway expansion through the village,” Naik pointed out while stating that Parrikar had even proposed a bypass road.
“If Parrikar could propose a bypass road, who is Cabral to say that it is impossible to build a bypass road?” he questioned.
“That time, we were promised that our houses would not be demolished but now when BJP came to power, they are hell bent on demolishing our houses,” Naik said.
He questioned Cabral’s statement that only four houses would be affected and not all.
“If that is the case, then first withdraw the gazette notification containing the names of the entire Nagzar households. Only then we will believe,” he added.
A large number of women who were present at the meeting have vowed that they would sleep on the road when the need arises but will not allow any work to be undertaken through the village, threatening their temples, house, culture and identity.
