the goan I network
MARGAO
There’s finally good news in store for river Sal, the life line of Salcete, which has been craving for attention over the years.
As part of river rejuvenation plan finalized as per the directions of the NGT, the Water Resources Department (WRD) has floated a tender to de-silt a nine-kilometer stretch of river Sal between Nuvem and Khareband at an estimated cost of around Rs 8 crore.
And, if Water Resources Department (WRD) Minister Filipe Neri Rodrigues is to be believed, the WRD is on the job to prepare the estimates to desilt the stretch of the river, from the starting point at Verna to Nuvem in the near future.
As far as the desilting of the 14 km stretch of the river, from Benaulim to the mouth of the river Sal is concerned, it is learnt that the stretch will be taken up for desilting in due course of time by the Captain of Ports.
The WRD Minister Filipe Neri told The Goan that the WRD has already floated a tender to desilt of the river Sal course from Nuvem, opposite the South Goa district hospital under construction.
“The tender for the desilting work has been floated and the work order will be issued once the contractor is finalized by the department,” he said.
Saying that the WRD will also take up the work of desilting of the river Sal from Verna to Nuvem in the near future, Filipe Neri said the measures are being mooted as per the directions of the NGT.
Sources in the know said that a high level meeting was held in the Secretariat which was attended by the WRD Minister to review the status of the river Sal desilting project with various agencies.
The meeting was also attended by Benaulim MLA Churchill Alemao, who has been demanded desilting of the river Sal before the commencement of the controversial Western bypass, also attended the meeting.
This is not the first time that the government had taken up the desilting of the river Sal. In the past, a stretch of the river Sal, between Mungul and Khareband was desilted when Digambar Kamat was the Urban development Minister.
Four years ago, River Sal was taken up desilting along the course from Khareband to Telaulim bridge when the matter was taken up by then Fisheries Minister and Navelim MLA Avertano Furtado.
