Vasco MLA Krishna Salkar along with officials of the Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) and the Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA) on Thursday carried out a joint site inspection of Swatantra Path, as part of the long-awaited Swatantra Path beautification project.
Speaking during the inspection, Salkar said the initiative would be launched immediately after the monsoon.
“We are trying to involve all stakeholders and government agencies and taking inputs even from residents because this is the lifeline of Vasco and people have an emotional attachment with the Swatantra Path,” Salkar said.
He added that efforts were being made to ensure the project was people-friendly.
“We are trying to involve senior citizens to take feedback on how best we can improve the Swatantra Path, improve the parking of vehicles along this route while keeping the roads free of congestion and also giving better facilities to pedestrians. We also want to ensure that beautiful trees offering shade along this path are taken good care of,” he remarked.
Salkar informed that road widening works had already begun near the Church square connecting to Swatantra Path.
“The Church junction works will be launched, and the Church square will be redeveloped. These are two separate projects, but we are exploring if we can merge both so that the entry point into Vasco gets a facelift and the entire face of Vasco city can be changed,” he said.
He further revealed that private players were also coming forward with proposals.
“At the Church square, we had involved highway authorities, local residents, builders and the municipality. We have received a proposal from a builder to maintain and develop the Church Square, while we have also received a proposal to set up a clock tower in the area. We will involve Mumbai architects, engineers in Vasco city, and take everyone’s advice and suggestions before we finalise the best plan for the entry point of Vasco,” Salkar stated.
The MLA also announced the launch of several other projects simultaneously.
“We will launch around six to seven projects starting together. The Baina garden project will be launched, road widening near Tanya Hotel will begin, the Vasco fish market will be inaugurated, and works on the Vasco bus stand will be taken up,” he said.
Salkar, however, cautioned residents about temporary hardships.
