the goan I network
MARGAO
Wary of derailment of the track doubling project, the Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd and Railway officials appears treading a cautious path as the project has been hit by objections to land acquisition along the Collem-Margao and the Margao-Vasco section.
Railway officials appears a worried lot that delays in acquiring the land may upset the two-year deadline set to complete the Collem-Margao project before taking up the Margao-Vasco section in the last and final phase.
Though the railways have a relatively free run from Collem to Curchorem, officials are apprehensive that delays in acquiring land along the Chandor-Guirdolim and Sao Jose de Areal section will affect the track doubling work, for the simple reason that work on the project is required to be taken up in one go and not in a piecemeal manner.
As things stand today, land required for the track doubling project in Chandor-Guirdolim area and Sao Jose de Areal have gone haywire, for different reasons. Rail officials in the know say they have received a consent letter from a land owner, but he has set certain terms and conditions, which are difficult to meet. "Amongst other conditions, the land owner has quoted Rs 5000 per square meter of land along with other conditions such as a job and commercial stall at the railway station. The railways are ready even to provide a compensation of Rs 2000 per sq mts, but certainly the other demands cannot be accepted at all," remarked a railway officials, pointing out negotiations are still underway with the land owner to cap the deal.
The situation at Sao Jose de Areal is slightly different. Here, the land owners along with the villagers are not only opposed to any land acquisition, but they are opposed to the track doubling project. In Sao Jose de Areal, the railways are in need of land admeasuring 3000-odd square meters in and around the existing railway station.
Villagers, however, are opposed to the project. After the goof up wherein the railways issues notices to a large number of people when the land required was only around 3000-odd square meter, railway officials have mooted a joint meeting to address all grievances raised by the villagers.
In Davorlim village too, officials have not been successful yet in getting in their possession land required for the track doubling project.
So what are the options available with the Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd and the railway officials to cap the land procurement/acquisition before track doubling work starts on the project? A railway official said the state government officials should also lend a helping hand in getting the required land. "Invoking the Railway Act to acquire the required land in question is one of the options, but this option would be a last resort," remarked another official, who has favoured negotiations with the local villagers.
As far as the Margao-Vasco track doubling project is concerned, railway officials do not want to talk much about the project for the moment given the strong opposition emanating from BJP Cortalim MLA Alina Saldanha. "Our priority for the moment is to get the necessary land along the Colem-Margao stretch. We have not abandoned track doubling along the Margao-Vasco stretch, but work on the project will begin only in the last phase after completion of the Colem-Margao stretch," he added.
