Chandor residents heave sigh of relief as SH-8 denotified

THE GOAN NETWORK | MARCH 04, 2021, 12:35 AM IST

MARGAO 
There’s finally good news for the residents of Chandor agitating against the State Highway SH-8 passing through the heritage village.

After a sustained movement by the villagers for over two years now, the government has finally de-notified the Margao-Sao Jose de Areal-Chandor-Curchorem as SH-8 highway.

The Goa government has finally amended the notification dated February 8, 1977, published in the Official Gazette, Series IINO 47 dated 17-02-1977 by omitting the existing entry against serial number 8 in the Principal Notification.

Cuncolim MLA Clafacio Dias told the media that the long-pending demand of the people of Chandor has been met with the government de-notifying the SH8 passing through the heritage village. 

“When I had a meeting with the Chandor villagers last time in the presence of PWD officials, they were assured that the government has set in motion the process to de-notify the SH-8 highway,” he said.

Chandor villagers had been opposing the highway on grounds that it was passing through the densely populated area with residential, commercial and residential structures situated very close and along the road length, including heritage structures dating back to the Kadamba dynasty in the 11th century.

Even TCP and PWD officials had later opined that the widening of the SH-8 will be very difficult due to the location of the structures, especially those in the protected category of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), maintaining that it would be difficult to meet the specifications and standards of state highway.

The issue had figured at the 163rd meeting of the Town and Country Planning Board on October 15, 2010, after the Board received a petition from the Chandor-Cavorim village Panchayat. The Board had then recommended de-notification of the SH-8.

In the representation, the local panchayat had contended that the residents had apprehensions that if the SH8 passes through the village by allowing a width of 30 mts, then all the old monuments and heritage structures would get affected by the road widening. It contended that the 30-meter wide road was not feasible through the built-up area of Chandor village at certain stretches.


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