There have been growing requests to develop an old and unpaved road between Satre village in Nagargao Panchayat area to Parwad in Karnataka as it would provide a shorter route between Sattari and Kankumbi in Belagavi.
Locals in the area claim that this road was built during the Portuguese rule and there is also a bridge from that era.
A number of representations have been submitted to various authorities and assurances have been given but there has been no work on the road.
A resolution to demand a proper road had been passed in the Gram Sabha of the Nagargao Panchayat on October 2, 2021 and the panchayat had submitted a representation to the Health Minister Vishwajit Rane on October 30, 2021. Rane had sent a letter to the PWD on December 21, 2021.
A similar resolution had been passed on July 20, 2021 during the Gram Sabha of Parwad Panchayat in Karnataka.
Locals explained that people from Satre, Kankumbi and Parwad had been traveling along the route since Portuguese times for trade and other purposes.
“During Portuguese rule, people used to walk to and from in Satre. Now if this unpaved road is developed by the government, the villages of Parvad and Nagargaon will be connected,” said Sarvesh Nhavelkar of Nagargao.
“The new road will also lead to the development of Nagargao. A check point can also be set up in Satre-Parwad area. Besides, the distance between Goa and Belagavi will be significantly reduced, thereby saving time and money.”
In November 2015, villagers of Nagargao Panchayat had submitted a representation to then Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar to develop the Satre-Parwad road.
Since the road passes through the Mhadai forest area, there are challenges in developing the road under the Forest Protection.
