MARGAO
Villagers of Chinchinim have still not lost the hope of convincing the State government to build the National Highway 66 passing through the village at Dandeavaddo via a land bypass instead of stilts.
After knocking the doors of Union Minister for Surface Transport, Nitin Gadkari and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, villagers led by Chinchinim Sarpanch Valentino Barretto petitioned to Salcete’s lone Minister Aleixo Sequeira last week with a plea to build a road bypass instead of widening the highway on stilts.
The PWD, NH has finalised a flyover on the NH66 passing through Chinchinim village as part of the four-laning of the National Highway. Local residents of Dandeavaddo, however, have questioned the rationale of building a flyover when a road bypass would have taken care of the traffic requirements on the national highway for the next 100 years.
Having suffered over the years when their land was acquired for the highway widening, the local residents feel that a road bypass is an ideal solution to the issue considering the projected increase in the traffic along the highway in the coming years.
Says Sarpanch Valentino Barretto: “Chinchinim residents have never said no to the highway project. In fact, the villagers want a road bypass, which was approved by the agency appointed in 2018-19 when a joint delegation of residents of Cuncolim and Chinchinim had called on then Chief Minister late Manohar Parrikar to address the issue. To our shock and surprise, the proposed to build a road bypass has been shelved and the National Highway appears determined to expand the highway on stilts.”
