MARGAO
Promising that he would stand by the people on resolving the Cuncolim bypass imbroglio, Cuncolim MLA Clafacio Dias on Monday warned that an elected MLA cannot be bypassed on the bypass issue.
Saying that he is fully supporting the alignment running parallel to the Konkan Railway tracks, Clafacio further demanded to know why former Cuncolim MLA Joaquim Alemao did not build the bypass along the KR tracks when he was a Minister in the Digambar Kamat-led Congress government for five years.
The Cuncolim MLA had an interaction with the a group of people from Cuncolim on Monday morning on the issue.
The PWD, National Highways section, has decided to demarcate the three proposed bypass alignments with the help of a consultant.
People sought to know from the MLA as well as the PWD, NH officials, on the route shortlisted by the government, but were told that the NH would only demarcate the three alignments before shortlisting the feasible route.
Barnabe Vaz and Christine Rego, who spoke to the media after the meeting, said the MLA has promised to stand by the people and solve the issue as per their demands.
Former Minister Arecio D’Souza appealed to the vested interests not to instigate the people to believe that a certain bypass alignment has been finalized by the government. “What the people of Cuncolim urgently require is a bypass on the national highway to decongest the town. Let the people decide which alignment is the best one after the demarcation,” Arecio told the media.
In his address, MLA Clafacio placed before the people the work he has carried out ever since the residents of Panzorconne had called for a meeting on the issues around October. “I had raised the isuse in the Assembly, wherein the PWD Minister Sudin Dhavalikar had assured that the government has not finalized the alignment for the Cuncolim bypass. When I, along with Velim MLA Filipe Neri Rodrigues, had called on the PWD Minister again on the isuse, Dhavlikar had categorically stated that the people and the MLAs will be taken into confidence before finalizing the route,” Clafacio said.
“I am aware the former MLA Joaquim Alemao enjoys good relations with TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai, but that does not mean that the elected MLA can be bypassed on the issue. There should not to be any politics on the bypass issue,” he said.
The MLA said he would immediately dash off a letter to the Principal Chief Engineer to hold a power-point presentation for the benefit of the people of Cuncolim soon after completing the demarcation exercise.
