MARGAO
Cutting of trees along the National highway claimed life of a young lad from Nuvem after a tree came crashing down on him while he was proceeding on his scooter at Nuvem on Tuesday evening.
Tension rent the air on the NH at Nuvem when the news of the death of Antonio Xavier Costa, a 25-year old lad from Kirbhat, spread in the village. Agitated villagers demanded to know why the traffic police had deployed only a lone traffic personnel to regulate the traffic when the tree cutting was underway when heavy traffic plies on the busy highway.
Angry villagers demanded to know the whereabouts of the tree cutters, who seemed to have disappeared after the incident. The villagers demanded that the authorities fix the responsibility behind the death of the youngster. They contended that traffic police personnel often come in a group to challan motor vehicle violators, as they demanded to know why the traffic police had deployed only a lone personnel to regulate the traffic flow during tree cutting.
The traffic personnel was heard explaining that while he was regulating the traffic from one side, the PWD workers were posted on the other side. The villages, however, charged the traffic personnel saying the traffic police was trying to pass the buck on the PWD workers.
Nuvem Congress leader Everson Vales told The Goan that the unfortunate incident could have been avoided had the authorities taken due precautions. “I fail to understand why a lone traffic police personnel was posted, knowing well that the Nuvem stretch is a busy highway”, he said.
Everson recalled that the villagers had protested last year when huge trees were being felled around this time, but their pleas had fallen on deaf ears. “Today, the tree cutting activity has claimed a young life which could have been avoided by proper regulation and monitoring”, he said.
PWD, NH officials told The Goan that the agency had entrusted the work of cutting the dangerous trees along the highway following a direction received by the district authorities. “We have engaged contractors to cut down the dangerous trees dotting along the NH -66”, he said.
While the youngster was rushed to the hospital, he was declared brought dead. Maina Curtorim PI Shivram Vaingankar said the police has registered the incident as unnatural death, adding that investigations are underway.
