MARGAO
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Sunday said the Centre has sanctioned over Rs 2,000 crore to tone up the national highway road network in the State, but the announcement may not ring in good news for the people of Benaulim demanding bypass passing through the village on stilts.
While the Chief Minister on Sunday pointed out at Majorda that the additional funds will also help complete the western bypass project, a senior PWD official, however, informed that the additional funds sanctioned by the Centre for national highway development have no provision to take up the entire balance portion of the western bypass on stilts.
“As things stand today, the PWD, NH will only build around 980 stretch of the western bypass between Seraulim, near the wholesale fish market to the Mungul railway over bridge on stilts. The Centre has not sanctioned additional funds to take up the balance portion of the western bypass passing through Benaulim village on stilts,” the official added.
The official added: “There’s no change in the status quo in respect of the western bypass as far as the balance portion along the Benaulim stretch is concerned. The PWD will build an elevated stretch up to a distance of 980 metres. The remaining stretch in Benaulim village will be built on earthen embankments. This is the position as of today.”
The official, however, hastened to add that a flyover will now come at the accident-prone Belem-Navelim traffic junction, where the western bypass joins the National Highway-66 at Navelim.
Incidentally, Water Resources Department (WRD) Minister Subhash Shirodkar during his visit to Benaulim last week, had assured to convene a joint meeting with Chief Minister Subhash Shirodkar, PWD Minister Nilesh Cabral and Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas to discuss the contention issue and find a solution to the demand to build the bypass on stilts.
