the goan I network
PANAJI
A contractor employed for expansion work of national highway has surprisingly excavated a piece of land in Torxem village which was never acquired by the Public Works Department.
The contractor started the excavation work with JCBs and other machinery on land under survey no 49/13. When the owner objected to the digging, the contractor refused to budge on the ground that the land was acquired by the govt for expansion of national highway. The owner of the land subsequently complained to the Chief Minister about the illegality to which the Chief Minister’s Office has sought an explanation from the land acquisition officer. The Land Acquisition Officer has admitted that the land was never acquired for highway work.
“Land belonging to Apa Laxman Nagzarkar under survey no 49/13 of the Village Torxem of Pernem Taluka has not been acquired under the project bearing Land Acquisition for building (widening/four lane, etc) mainteinance, management and operation of National Highway No-17 (New NH-66) on the stretch of land from Km 475000 to Km 500500 (Patradevi to Karswada section) in North Goa District in the state of Goa (Package I),” a special Land Acquision Officer Antonio Lourenco has said in a letter to the Joint Secretary to the Chief Minister on October 3.
Meanwhile, the owners from whom land had been acquired for widening of road from Patradevi to Bambolim are yet to be paid, say the aggrieved owners. Around 4 lakh sq meter of land had been acquired at Rs 12000 to Rs 15000 per square meter fixed by the government. Also, the ongoing highway expansion work of NH-66 (old NH-17) along the Karaswada-Pernem stretch is causing immense hardship to commuters as the contractors have failed in building service roads or ensure that alternate roads are in motorable condition.
The government has set December 2020 for completion of expansion work.
More over, the government has still not not completed the procedure for land acquisition and for this reason the contractor is facing a problem.
Delayed reply to a complaint
To a complaint by an alert citizen about the pathetic condition of roads and problems faced by the people as a result of ongoing repair works along the stretch of NH17 (new NH 66), PWD executive engineer has replied after nearly three months.
Prasad Tatkar, a resident of Paraste Pedne placed an online grievance in July 2019 about the pathetic condition of NH-17 ie from Patradevi to Panaji due to construction of 4-lane highway. The PWD official replied after nearly 3 moths in October.
“The agencies who are executing the above 2 works are regularly maintaining these stretches by filling numerous potholes with cement concrete and granular sub-base which is the only method practiced during the monsoon,” said the reply by Executive Engineer WD VII (NH), PWD, Panaji.
All safety issues, barricading, signboards, maintenance of roads is being attended by the agencies, said the engineer.
The engineer also mentioned that the agencies have been instructed to deploy a flagman to control traffic movement at the above sites and also the agency has agreed to restore roads and filling of pot holes with bituminous material after the end of monsoon.
