THE GOAN NETWORK
VASCO
Mormugao Port Authority (MPA) Chairman Dr N Vinod Kumar on Friday defended the process of installing gates and erecting a compound wall at Baina, stating that it was done for security purposes.
"I am not aware of any controversy regarding the installation of gate and erection of compound wall at Baina near the entry and exit ramps of the loop flyover. No one has spoken or discussed with us till date. The project was inaugurated but we have also not started using the road and maybe we will also start using that route in a couple of days since we are presently doing a trial run,” Dr Vinod Kumar told reporters.
"If the controversy is about the gates we put at Baina, it is because it is an entry point to the Port and will have to be secured. We are an ISPS compliant port following international guidelines to secure the port. All the entry points will have a gate which can either be open or closed. The gates which are open at Baina till today and we have not stopped anyone from using the road till now."
"We have to understand that this is a port connectivity project meant for cargo transportation to and from the port. The flyover also has up ramp and down ramp at Baina for cargo movement to our port warehouse in Baina. Whether people can go will be decided by Government of Goa through a proper traffic plan.”
The MPA chairman then highlighted two concerns.
“One concern is related to port security where any entry point to the Port will have a gate which may have to be closed in times of emergency even though it may not be closed on a daily basis. The Government of Goa will have to tell us how the traffic will move on these roads and where the traffic police will be deployed." Said Dr Vinod Kumar
"The movement on the up-ramp and down-ramp and even Vasco up-ramp can cause accidents and we don't want accidents on this flyover or these accidents to impact our transport movement on this flyover.”
“We have not controlled access to any part of the road as of now. However, the up-ramp is not a part of the NHAI project but totally a project of the port to move the cargo. No one has spoken to us and we only read about the controversy in the media," Dr Vinod Kumar added.
