PANAJI
The festering opposition to the expansion of the National Highway at Bhoma manifested itself again on Sunday at the Gram Sabha which resolved to convey to the government their demand for their village to be bypassed.
Separately, the villagers also accused the government of attempting to divide them by a strategy of variable valuation of houses and land marked for acquisition due to the highway expansion plans.
The villagers alleged that government officials carrying out valuation to pay compensation were using illogical methods and valuing one house with the land at Rs 45,000 but pegging the value of kiosks at Rs 3 and 4 lakhs.
They argued that this was being done to divide the villagers, who have thus far remained largely united in their opposition to the highway expansion.
Meanwhile at the gram sabha on Sunday villagers urged the Sarpanch to formally write to the local MLA who is also a Minister, Govind Gaude, voicing the villages demand that the government junk the highway expansion plan and instead go in for a road bypass.
The sarpanch later told the media that he would accordingly write to Gaude about the gram sabha decision demanding a bypass instead of the planned expansion of the highway.
The Bhoma villagers have been agitating against the government's plan to expand the highway which they claim will disturb the sanctity of two temples in the village besides needing demolition of at least a dozen homes and other structures.
