the goan I network
MARGAO
Are national and state highways “non-urban rural roads” as per the Indian Roads Congress (IRC) code and are not supposed to enter the municipal or urban areas?
Senior PWD officials said that exact interpretation of the codes of the IRC, the technical body and the ultimate authority in deciding all the techno-legal matters pertaining to roads in India and drafting of mandatory codes, offers a ray of hope in saving hundreds of bars in the municipal areas facing the axe.
Moreover, PWD officials pointed out that bars located in Margao, Vasco and Ponda can get major relief if the state government files a review petition in the Supreme court to exempt the outlets from the court order in view of the construction work of bypasses underway in these three towns.
Take the case of the state highway from Margao to Ponda. The PWD official said this state highway as per the State PWD commences from the Margao Municipal garden and probably terminates at Dada Vaidya Chowk in Ponda, although there is no detailed description of the same in the notification of this highway issued way back in 1977. “As per my interpretation of IRC classification, the Margao-Ponda state highway can commence only beyond Margo municipal area, from Arlem circle and terminate on the boundary of the Ponda municipal area. The same interpretation can be adopted for all other state highways. This will exempt all the bars from the Municipal areas from the ambit of the Supreme Court order from the state highways point of view,” the official added.
As far as the national highway is concerned, the official pointed out that a national highway is not supposed to pass through an urban area and hence steps were taken to construct bypass roads. “The towns of Ponda and Mapusa are already bypassed, whereas in towns of Margao, Vasco and Canacona, bypasses are under construction and are expected to be complete sooner or later within a period of 2-3 years. As per techno-legal provisions, once a bypass is completed, the same has to be notified as national highway and consequently the older stretch needs to be de-notified as national highway,” he said.
The official opined that since Margao, Ponda and Vasco will get national highway bypasses within a short period, the State government can file a review petition in the SC drawing its attention to the fact and seek special relief for the liqour outlets till these projects are completed and notified.
