the goan I network
CANACONA
While the Canacona MLA and authorities are busy making final preparations to commission the newly constructed 4-Lane road between Char-Rasta and Maxem, environmentalists in in Canacona are still keeping their fingers crossed over the outcome of their petition in the high court.
According to sources, the petition in High Court over reclamation of the Maxem Creek to construct part of the 4-Lane road, instead of extending the bridge, was originally scheduled for November 18, but due to overlapping of other dates, it is likely to come up this week.
The petitioner and environmentalists petitioned the high court and were even granted ‘stay order’ which eventually lasted only for a day, are also banking on a resolution by Loliem-Polem panchayat on July 27 requesting authorities to extend the Maxem Bridge on NH-66 where mud had collapsed recently.
“Construction of a bridge over Maxem river was rocked by protests from locals right since its inception. The filling of Galgibaga river estuary and Maxem river was done way back in 2001 and with locals protesting, the causeway construction was abandoned,” said Pamela Rodrigues, one of the petitioners.
“Locals have been fearing that illegal filling of rivers would lead to flooding and pose huge threat to life and property, which eventually came true during the Canacona floods on October 2, 2009.”
“The illegal filling of about 370 metres in the Galgibag river estuary and about 75 meters in the Maxem river wasn’t removed despite alarming rise in water levels. The NH-66 work started in 2015 and the contractor used the same illegally filled Galgibag river estuary and Maxem River to constructing approach roads to the Maxem Bridge,” Rodrigues said.
Added environmentalist Manoj Prabhugaonkar: “The PWD relented to public pressure and started constructing a bridge on the northern side. At the southern side, the illegal filling and the approach road is constructed over it has been left abandoned and not restored to its original state. The contractor has further filled Maxem river on the southern side.”
“The contractor has cut corners at the cost of ecology, putting lives of people at risk. Locals strongly feel that the PWD and the State government has failed them and have aided the contractor,” Prabhugaonkar said.
When representations to various authorities did not yield the desired results, a group of locals then filed a PIL in the high court.
“Till the PIL is decided by the high court, authorities have no business to give a completion certificate to the bridge. The inspection of this stretch is, therefore, void of any legal and moral sanctity. Locals demand that this bridge should not be commissioned before the PIL is decided in high court,” said Rodrigues.
