CM sells boating dreams to residents of Bardez

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant at a function to lay the foundation stone for construction of a minor bridge across Tar River in Mapusa. Aldona MLA Glenn Ticlo, Mapusa MLA Joshua D’Souza were also present.

MAPUSA

Imagine, the Mapusa River with water as clear as the blue sky and you are perched on a small boat rowing down the stream. Imagine, a promenade along the riverside with food courts et all…And if you think that this can happen only in dreams, then you are in for a surprise.
Chief Minister, Pramod Sawant promised just that and more to the people of Mapusa and Bardez on an unusually cloudy Monday.
“Mapusa can become a popular touristic spot. It’s on our mind and for that Mapusa River can be developed into a big project. The river and its surroundings can be converted into an entertainment hub with Mapusa and Aldona becoming its focal point,” Sawant said.
The chief minister was addressing a gathering at a function to lay the foundation stone for construction of a minor bridge across the Tar River at Mapusa. 
Sawant said for around 2.5 km the river was running along the roadside which can be utilized to develop into a leisure spot.
“After de-silting the river, a promenade with first class food courts and sit-outs can be constructed along the 2.5 km stretch. Locals can come for morning and evening walks and tourists can also have a good time. People can also move around in the river in small boats,” he said.

He further informed that the water resources department along with two other departments was working on the project   
“The project which is expected to come up in next two years will be a project of pride for the people of Bardez,” he opined.
Incidentally, the CM’s promise has come when several priority projects in Mapusa have either remained stuck or have not taken off for past several years.
The sewerage project which was kick-started seven years ago has still not become operational while the ubiquitous Ravindra Bhavan and the state-of-the-art bus-stand were still to see the light of the day.
On the congestion of Mapusa, the chief minister stressed on the need to go vertical to overcome the space constraints faced by the town.
“Mapusa at one time was a commercial town but over the years it has become congested and needs to be expanded. Vertical mobility is the need of the hour,” he said.
Incidentally, former chief minister, late Manohar Parrikar had mooted the idea of developing new Mapusa by taking over the barren fields at the entrance of the town, right up to Morod and beyond.
The project was supposed to be taken up through the much-talked “downturn scheme” under the Town and Country Planning department. However, the project has hit a roadblock due to legal challenges.
The new four-lane composite bridge across the Mapusa River with one metre footpaths on either side and costing Rs 10.30 crore is expected to be completed within six to eight months.
Aldona MLA Glenn Ticlo, Mapusa MLA Joshua D’Souza, Mapusa Chairperson Shubanghi Vaigankar, Bastora Sarpanch, Ranjit Usgoankar, Councilor Prakash Bhivshet and others were also present on the occasion.
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DC BULLETS
LEISURE SPOT ALONG RIVER