MARGAO
The decade-old western bypass saga continues unabated as the government have yet again rejected the demand for construction of the bypass road on stilts, with Benaulim villagers appearing equally determined for yet another battle to take the long-drawn agitation to the logical conclusion.
Take note, every time the people of Benaulim, Seraulim and Mungul hit the roads and pursued both administrative and legal options to get the bypass on stilts, fearing large-scale flooding and destruction of the flood plains of river Sal, they have ended up gaining something out of their long-drawn agitation, leaving the PWD, National Highways and the government of the day exposed for bulldozing with an ill-planned project passing through the wetlands of Margao, Benaulim and Seraulim.
Consider this: When the 11-km Verna-Dramapur western bypass project was being executed around a decade ago, the project had no provision for stilts along the flood plains and wetlands of Margao, Seraulim and Benaulim. And, neither did the planners make any provision for the road underpasses along the Margao-Navelim bypass stretch.
Strange it may seem, even a small stretch of river Sal was proposed to be shifted along the Seraulim stretch. And, the alignment passed close to river Sal at some distance. That the bypass alignment was passing through water bodies and the number of culverts proposed to be built along the 2.75 km stretch between Seraulim and Benaulim were just a few considering the entire flood plains has been a water catchment of the area over the years, only indicating the bypass plan was conceived and designed without considering the ground reality.
The agitating villagers tasted their first success, though in a small measure, when former Chief Minister late Manohar Parrikar understood the ground reality after personally visiting the flood plains of river Sal after he returned to power in 2017. Parrikar shared the concerns of the villagers agitating against the bypass on earthen embankments but was candid in admitting that it may not be possible to build the entire bypass on stilts considering the cost factor.
Instead, a separate tender estimated at around Rs 142 crore was floated by the PWD, national Highways, specifically for the balance 2.75 km stretch between the wholesale fish market at Seraulim and Benaulim. The new tender proposed to build as many as four underpasses along the stretch, at the wholesale fish market, Mungul-Colva road, Kharebandh and Benaulim-Varca road, besides making provision for additional culverts along the stretch for the flow of monsoon water.
The villagers, however, stuck to their guns and insisted on the construction of the bypass on stilts, contending that the concessions granted in the separate tender, though welcome, would not solve the issue of inundation of the flood plains of river Sal.
Inspections of the flood plains by various authorities, including the Bio-diversity Board, Water Resources Department, the department of Science et al that later followed had given the villagers a ray of hope, but the government remained unmoved.
Even as the Panjim bench of the Bombay High Court took suo moto cognizance of the delay in executing the western bypass considering the heavy flow of traffic along the highway, social activist and former Benaulim sarpanch Royla Fernandes moved the National Green Tribunal (NGT) with the plea the bypass road through the low-lying fields of Seraulim and Benaulim would inundate the villages and cause irreparable damage to the environment.
Taking cognizance of the petition, the NGT constituted a 10-member panel to conduct a thorough study and come out with findings, stressing the need to protect the wetland and flood plains.
After a long-drawn battle, the expert committee found merits in the people’s demand for the bypass on stilts, when the panel recommended an elevated portion of the bypass along a 980-metre stretch between the wholesale fish market and Mungul railway over the bridge since the bypass alignment is passing through river Sal and would entail filling up of water bodies.
The villagers welcomed the decision to build the bypass on stilts along the 980-metre stretch, but vowed to continue the agitation till the entire 2.75 km stretch is built on stilts.
With the last monsoons triggering unprecedented flooding of the low-lying areas of Benaulim, the demand for stilts further gained momentum. This time the villagers sought the new PWD Minister Nilesh Cabral’s intervention.
After a study, the PWD Minister has come out with a revised plan this week to build around 11-12 additional culverts on the 650-metre Tolleaband stretch to ensure the flow of water. The additional water passages proposed by the PWD Minister may imply further gains for the villagers during the decade-old struggle, but the people have vowed to take the agitation to the logical conclusion till the entire 2.75 km problematic stretch is built on stilts.
