the goan I network
VASCO
A high-level joint inspection of various stretches of roads along NH17A and NH17B was carried out on Sunday evening to work out a new plan to ease traffic movement before the traffic diversion for vehicles plying between Panaji and Margao is finalised.
PWD Minister Sudin Dhavalikar, Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho, TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai, Cortalim MLA Alina Saldanha, South Goa Collector Dr Tariq Thomas, PWD officials, and traffic department officials were present.
Though the legislators and other officials present at inspection confirmed that the traffic diversion was finalised, they didn’t commit when the diversion would come into force.
The PWD Minister informed that the inspection was conducted to identify various bottlenecks on the highways that could cause traffic congestion on the diverted route.
Dhavalikar said various plans have been proposed by the PWD. “Many of the stretches would be widened and some earmarked as one way so that there is smooth flow of vehicular movement on the diverted route. The diversion could last for around a year,” he mentioned.
He said, “We want to ensure that the people are not put to any inconvenience. We are also trying to acquire more land to widen the roads. We will also meet with the Navy officials in a bid to acquire more land for widening and strengthening of the roads to cope up with the extra traffic movement during the diversion.”
“There are plans to creating one way route on the same existing route between Panaji and Margao so that there is no congestion. We will upgrade the present infrastructure on these roads and after another two meetings we will chalk out the final plan. We will go ahead with the diversion only after the requisite infrastructure is put in place on the present roads,” he said.
Dhavalikar said if the farmers give their land for a service road then we may not have to go for diversion at this stage. “The present infrastructure and alignment that we have decided on the current roads will curtail the detour to 14 kms from 22 kms for vehicles plying between Panaji and Margao,” he added.
Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho said that bylanes, side lanes and added infrastructure on present roads was vital in case of traffic diversion. “We are facing bottlenecks at various locations on the route. We have shown the PWD Minister some critical places where added infrastructure, including small bridges, is required,” he said.
“The traffic load will increase on some of the internal roads after diversion. We will put in place requisite infrastructure to facilitate the diversion and it will continue to exist once the traffic is restored on the original route,” he added.
He appealed to the people not to spread a wrong message and oppose the diversion just for the sake of opposing. “The diversion is finalised and there are about three to four routes that need to be worked on. The route with least inconvenience to motorists will be considered,” Godinho said.
Cortalim MLA Alina Saldanha said that it was important to understand the present need. “We have to ensure that locals face least trouble as a result of the diversion. The main area that we discussed today is the MES College junction. The PWD Minister has noted down the points raised by us,” she said.
Farmers oppose government move to acquire their lands
VASCO: The government’s hopes to get farmers to part with their land for service roads on both sides of the Cortalim Circle turned grim on Sunday when hundreds of farmers from Cortalim opposed any attempts to acquire their lands as part of the traffic diversion plan.
Hours before a high-level meeting of ministers and officials to inspect the site, around 350 members of the farming community gathered at the office of Cortalim Comunidade Tenants Association (CCTA), a body of around 250 tenants, and passed a resolution to oppose acquisition of their farmlands.
Speaking to the media CCTA President Anton Vas on Sunday morning said that the meeting was held after there was panic over the government’s proposed move to acquire their farmlands but there was no official intimation from either the local MLA Alina Saldanha, the PWD or Cortalim Panchayat regarding the acquisition.
“Actually the government should have approached the farmers directly if they wanted to acquire fields instead of us getting news from the media. We are a body of 245 tenants and for over 40 years now our farmlands are being acquired for different reasons. Since there was panic among farmers, a meeting was called and we have taken a resolution that we will not allow any more acquisition of farms for any project,”Vas said. “The farmers are not being taken into confidence at all. The fields are ancestral. The farmers were compensated when their fields were damaged and even compensated while the fields were acquired for the Konkan Railway project. The government can any day call a meeting of the farmers check the ownership details if at all they feel that there are issues of multiple claimants,” added Vas.
Another member of CCTA Pobres Vaz said the government had already taken 40 metres for extending the highway earlier. “They want another 30 metres and they are also claiming that they will clear the area and restore the fields after a period of one year. The mud that will be put in the fields for the road will make the soil acidic and it will take another 100 years for the soil to be fertile again. No farmer has been compensated till date ever since the work on the bridge has been taken up,” Vaz added.
“If any project is taken up there has to be a provision for a service road and affected farmers paid for it. If this was not planned then I wonder how the bridge project was even approved,” Vaz said.
Hoping diversion is averted: Vijai
VASCO: Claiming that the traffic diversion will cause a lot of inconvenience to several people from South Goa, TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai on Sunday evening said that he was still hopeful that something different could happen and the traffic diversion averted. Sardessai was speaking to reporters after a joint inspection of roads on NH17A and NH17B. He said that besides causing inconvenience to people the diversion could also hit tourism in the State.
“I am not amongst the MLAs whose constituency will be affected by this diversion, but I am affected by the fact that the people from Salcette will have to travel 22 kms extra on a daily basis if this diversion takes place,” he stated. “Even now if the farmers agree to offer their land, this diversion can be averted. The decision has to be taken in the larger interest of Goans. Infrastructural development is to only avoid bottlenecks which is much needed in case of diversion. This may be good for the constituencies of Dabolim and Cortalim but it does not resolve the woes of people from Salcette. We have decided that only after the required infrastructure is ready the diversion should be finalized. I am personally hopeful that something different happens so that the diversion is averted,” he mentioned.
