the goan I network
PANAJI
With just over a year left to complete the expansion of National Highway 66 from Patradevi to Bambolim, the project has hit another rough patch with land acquisition proceedings yet to see the light of the day at some places along the route.
Officials however say, the NHAI’s December 2020 deadline to complete the highway expansion will be met.
Apart from the land acquisition, the delay is also attributed to shifting of electricity poles and water pipelines along the highway.
Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari who had visited the ongoing work a couple of days back, had summoned concerned officials from the State and asked them to complete the work on a war-footing.
Land acquisition in areas like Porvorim and Pernem had been halted as some areas were excluded at the last minute after pressure from politicians.
The process has considerably slowed down after the death of former CM Manohar Parrikar who was personally following it up closely.
Outlining the difficulties, a PWD official said even if there is a single change, like dropping a particular stretch from land acquisition, it takes around 6-9 months for the full process to complete. Adding to this, some individuals have also approached the court challenging the alignment. Arbitration in many cases have been concluded but, some are still pending in courts, he said.
Meanwhile, the government has decided to provide alternate houses to those who have lost their land and houses for the project. Presently, houses of around 30 families have been demolished.
It may be recalled that the central ministry of roadways had made a provision that highway expansion work could be taken up only if the State provides 70 per cent of required land for expansion.
LAND ACQUISITION DOCUMENTS ONLINE: With the help of an online system through bhoomirashi.gov.in’ portal provided by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highway thousands of documents related to land acquisition have been uploaded.
With this, there will be no chance of files being misplaced. This will help people who have lost their land to get compensation quickly.
