the goan I network
MARGAO
Even as a high-level meeting is convened at the Secretariat to discuss the Cortalim traffic diversion issue on December 28, TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai on Wednesday said the government should not go ahead with the planned diversion during the peak tourism season till January 10 and before the commissioning of the new Mandovi bridge.
The TCP Minister had an interaction with DySP Traffic Prabodh Shirwaikar,
Margao sub-divisional police officer DySP Raju Raut Desai, Fatorda PI Navlesh Desai and others at his office on Wednesday in a bid to obtain inputs from the traffic and police authorities on the proposed diversion.
The TCP Minister and officials are also scheduled to have another meeting with a group of residents of Cortalim on Thursday to seek their views on the diversion and their suggestions to have alternate arrangements for the local residents keeping in mind the emergency services including ambulance.
“If you ask me for my personal opinion, my stand is that the government should think of going in for the traffic diversion at Cortalim only after the inauguration of the new Mandovi bridge. Let the people first see the benefit of the new Mandovi bridge. Secondly, the proposed traffic diversion should not take place during the peak tourist season in the New Year, at least till January 10,” he told the media.
He, however, said that the high-level meeting scheduled on December 28 will be attended by him and the PWD Minister Sudin Dhavalikar along with senior officials to take a call on the traffic diversion issue.
“Today, I had a meeting with local traffic and police officials in order to seek their inputs on the traffic diversion how to go about implementing the same for different classes of vehicles,” he said.
The TCP Minister pointed out that local residents of Cortalim had contacted him over the issue, adding that he has called them for another round of discussion on Thursday.
“The local residents have made a number of suggestions on the closure of the existing road. They are insisting on alternate route for emergency services including ambulance service,” he added.
