MARGAO
With the High Court insisting on a concrete timeline for the construction of the long-delayed Kabrastan at Sonsodo, the government has two options to explore “ either build a ramp/bridge from the main road to the proposed Kabrastan at Rs 8-10 crore or provide an access route to the burial site by a lift (elevator) and staircase from the main road costing around Rs 1.5 crore.
No way in
This ticklish question has come to haunt the government since access to the proposed Kabrastan has become a contentious issue as there’s no dedicated route connecting the main Sonsodo road to the land acquired for the burial grounds. The existing access from the main road ends at the Christian cemetery, with sources saying the Margao municipality apparently did not acquire land for dedicated access to the proposed Kabrastan site at the time of acquisition.
Given the situation, the government has time till August 28 to take a call on whether it is in favour of building a ramp/bridge to the proposed Kabrastan site for Rs 8-10 crore or will go for an elevator costing Rs 1.5 crore or come out with a third alternate proposal to build access.
These two options were recommended by the consultant appointed by the Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA) to suggest ways to build the Kabrastan at the Margao Municipal Council-acquired land admeasuring 30,000-odd square metres.
Court observation
A senior Urban Development official told The Goan that the High Court at the hearing on August 1 adjourned the matter to August 28 with an observation that a concrete timeline for the construction of the proposed Kabrastan is submitted by the government.
“Since the matter involves the construction of an access road and huge funds, we are sending the file to the government for a decision. Hopefully, the government will take a call before the next date of hearing scheduled on August 28,” the official said.
At the hearing on August 1, the High Court observed, “We find that there is no compliance with the directions contained in our order dated October 12, 2022. At the request of the Advocate General, we place this matter on August 28, 2023, because the learned AG states that by that date, the concrete timeline for compliance would be filed.”
The High Court further observed, “Now that it is pointed out that some modifications are necessary, we expect that the decisions regarding such modifications are taken before the next date so that a concrete timeline can be provided.”
Recommendation
by consultant
The recommendation for the construction of the ramp/bridge or an elevator was made by the Consultant on the plea that there is no clarity on the access to the plot in question. The Consultant further stated that as the existing road is under lock and key and in the physical possession of the Christian community, they were unable to determine whether a road can be further constructed in the area.
Finally, the Consultant is believed to have given two options to the GSUDA to explore the possibility of providing access.
One, build a ramp/bridge from the main road to the Kabrastan which would entail constructing a bridge at around Rs 8-10 crores (the exact cost can be worked out only after a survey).
Second, access can be given by a lift (elevator) and staircase along with a generator which could be practical in such circumstances and would approximately cost Rs 1.5 crores. However, access to the proposed Kabrastan, during the construction phase shall have to be taken through the adjoining property, the consultant stated.
Incidentally, in his application filed in the High Court seeking an extension of the timeline to build the Babratan as per the High Court order dated October 2022, the Director of Municipal Administration, Gurudas Pilarnekar had stated that the recommendations suggested by the consultant are presently under the consideration of the Goa government.
