Locals seek clarity as land allocation nears; MLA flags need for alternate exit routes
File photo of the land acquired at Davorlim village 15 years ago for the proposed educational hub.
MARGAO
Even as Navelim MLA Ulhas Tuenkar has announced that allocation of land for educational institutions at the proposed education hub in Davorlim village will commence soon, concerns are mounting over whether authorities have adequately planned for the vehicular traffic that the project is likely to generate on already congested roads.
The proposed hub is expected to attract hundreds of vehicles daily, raising fears of acute traffic congestion and bumper-to-bumper traffic along village roads. The MLA acknowledged that the existing road connecting Margao to Davorlim would not be sufficient to handle the anticipated increase in traffic.
Tuenkar said officials from the Public Works Department (PWD) are in the process of preparing estimates for the construction of both internal and external roads linking the education hub to the main approach roads. However, he admitted that alternative traffic solutions would need to be worked out.
“The PWD and district authorities will have to find a solution whereby vehicles entering the education hub via the existing Davorlim road exit through an alternate route. An alternate road can be worked out so that vehicles entering through Davorlim exit via the Gogol Housing Board,” Tuenkar said.
He cautioned that unless such alternate exit routes are planned in advance, Davorlim could face severe traffic snarls once the hub becomes operational.
Davorlim gram sabha members had been vociferous in their demand that the government and the Education Department take the local villagers, including the local panchayat body into confidence before going ahead with the allocation of land for the city schools.
A couple of years ago, the government had demarcated the acquired land with strong police protection as a precautionary measure.
Villagers demand land for public utilities
Meanwhile, the government may also have to contend with repeated demands from gram sabha members of the Davorlim Village Panchayat, who have called for a portion of the 1.15 lakh square metres of acquired land to be reserved for public utility projects benefiting local residents.
Villagers have consistently sought allocation of land for the Holy Cross Chapel located atop a hillock in the area, as well as space for garbage treatment facilities and sports infrastructure.
The land in question was acquired approximately 15 years ago by the South Goa District Collector during the tenure of the then Congress government headed by Chief Minister Digambar Kamat. At the time of acquisition, the government stated that the purpose was for multi-utility projects, with no specific mention of establishing an education hub. The acquisition had faced stiff opposition from sections of the local populace.
Uncertainty over existing school infrastructure
Tuenkar also said that the government and the Education Department will need to take a decision on the future of existing school infrastructure in Margao once city schools are relocated to the proposed hub in Davorlim.
Responding to queries about whether schools would continue to operate from their current premises even after shifting, he said the matter would have to be examined in the context of the broader city decongestion plan.
Sources pointed out that if the primary objective behind relocating schools is to ease congestion in the city, that goal may be defeated if institutions continue to function from their existing buildings.
“The government and the Education Department will have to take a call on the issue, keeping in mind the city’s decongestion plan,” Tuenkar added.
