MARGAO
With traffic plying on the National Highway No-66 increasing by leaps and bounds, the fate of the promised expansion of the Highway from Navelim to Cuncolim remains unknown.
The fate of the Cuncolim bypass also remains unknown with the highway expansion work on the Navelim-Cuncolim stretch not taken up for execution.
It was on November 2 , 2021 that Union Minister for Surface Transport, Nitin Gadkari had announced new road projects worth Rs. 1,250 crore for the state of Goa. Amongst the host of projects mooted in the package announced by the Union Surface Transport Minister was the expansion of the 6.5 km long road from Cuncolim to Navelim estimated to cost the centre a whopping Rs 270 crore.
The Union Minister’s announcement of the highway expansion from Navelim to Cuncolim im 2021 was followed by the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s 2023 budget speech wherein he had announced development and expansion of the Cuncolim-Navelim highway during the current financial year.
Six months down the lane, and the ground reality remains unchanged. Inquiries by The Goan has revealed that the Centre has still not floated the tender for the expansion of the Cuncolim-Navelim highway till date.
An official pointed out that the Centre had proposed in its annual plan to take up the Cuncolim-Navelim stretch of the highway for development and expansion. With six months of the current financial year have ended, questions are being raised whether the Centre will float the tender during the six months of the financial year or whether the work would be taken up during the next financial year.
“Since the proposed Cuncolim-Navelim highway expansion project was to be taken up by the centre, we have not much idea about the status of the project. All that we know is that the Union Minister Nitin Gadkari had announced in November 2021 about the project, followed by the budgetary speech of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to execute the project”, remarked an official.
The official has further pointed out that they have no idea of the land acquisition for the Cuncolim bypass. “All that we unofficially know is that Cuncolim bypass will start from Uskini bandh and not from Sarzora. As per the plan, the Cuncolim-Navelim highway expansion project was to end at the Uskini bandh since the Highways have not acquired land for the Cuncolim bypass road, starting at Uskini bandh before joining the NH66 near the Primary Health Centre, Balli”, the official added.
In his budge speech, the Chief Minister had further announced that funds to the tune of Rs 281 crore will be spent for land acquisition for the proposed Cuncolim bypass.
The official further pointed out that the highway expansion from Cuncolim to Navelim would be a four-lane highway with pedestrian footpaths. Around 24 hectares of land along the Cuncolim-Navelim stretch of the highway has already been acquired by the PWD, NH long ago.
