MARGAO
During his recent visit to the state, Union Surface Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari took pride in saying his government has sanctioned road projects worth over Rs 25,000 crore for Goa.
He also announced two new road projects on the NH 66, including construction of a 6.5 km four-lane with paved shoulder road from Navelim to Cuncolim worth Rs 270 crore and the Rs 175 crore four-lane road, from Canacona bypass road end to Polem.
Sadly, the Union Minister, who had been time and again petitioned to consider the demand for construction of the balance 2.75 km stretch of the western bypass on stilts, remains unmoved. The Goa government too seemed to have failed to convince the Centre and the Union Minister to build the 2.75 km stretch passing through the flood plains of River Sal of Benaulim and Seraulim on stilts, leaving villagers and environmentalists to now pin their hopes on the NGT for justice.
In fact, every time, the Union Minister visits the State, he makes it a point to announce road projects in Goa, but has been silent in making a special allocation for the construction of the 2.75 km bypass on stilts.
Villagers waging a sustained battle in support of the bypass on stilts blamed the Centre and the government agencies such as the PWD, for even conducting a proper study to ascertain the impact of land-filling on the thousands of hectares of low-lying flood plains of river Sal to make way for the construction of the bypass sans stilts.
Consider this. Additional culverts for drainage of flood waters along the 2.75 km stretch of the Seraulim-Benaulim stretch of the bypass were proposed only at a later stage after former Chief Minister late Manohar Parrikar had inspected the stretch along with the respective MLAs following public protests.
This has only raised questions why the PWD and the project managers did not deem appropriate to propose the additional culverts when the project was being designed and tendered over half a decade ago.
Based on the recommendations made by the former Chief Minister, a separate tender for the 2.76 km project had been floated and awarded at a cost of around Rs 140-odd crore, including construction of additional culverts, besides underpasses at the traffic junctions, which was never a part of the original project.
That’s not all. A detailed study initiated by the department of environment, including the state Biodiversity Board and the Water Resources department (WRD), a couple of months ago, has now recommended a bridge over the river Sal along the 2.75 km sensitive stretch.
The report has further recommended shifting of the bypass alignment, passing right along the embankment of the river. This has again thrown up another pointed question “ how come the PWD did not deem fit to consult concerned departments, including the Water Resources department, the Wetlands Authority and the Biodiversity Board before conceptualizing the bypass design and plan and finalizing the project cost.
Environmentalists now pin their hopes on the National Green Tribunal (NGT) for justice. The high-level team of officials drafted to prepare an action plan to save the flood plains of River Sal is expected to file its report before the NGT.
Says petitioner before the NGT, Royla Fernandes: “If one takes a glance at the original bypass plans along the 2.75 km problematic stretch, it is clear no study was conducted by the agencies on the environment impact of the project on the ecology. Every time, agencies are asked to go into the complaints of villagers, they come out with recommendations to save the entire area from ecological disaster. This only goes to show that the agencies had failed to carry out the environment impact assessment study before executing the project”.
The Goan understands that Gadkari was in the past apprised of the demand raised by the people of Seraulim and Benaulim for the bypass on stilts, but he had ignored to sanction additional funds, even pushing the responsibility of carrying out additional drainage works on the 2.75 km stretch on the Goa government.
