One year on, no progress on key Margao flyover

The Victor hospital-La Flor hospital flyover alignment on the Margao ring road near the Cine Lata housing colony.

Photo Credits: The Goan

MARGAO
Guess the status of the ambitious Victor Hospital-La Flor hotel flyover, proposed in the commercial capital to establish the missing link of the long-delayed Margao Ring Road project?

Well, work on the centrally-funded project under the Central Road and Infrastructure Fund (CRIF) is yet to take off. Officials of the PWD, National Highway, the agency shortlisted to execute the Rs 95 crore flyover project, have pointed accusing fingers at the Railways for the delay in setting in motion the process to tender the project.

While the Konkan Railway Corporation (KRC) is believed to have agreed in principle to give a nod for the flyover passing through its property, an NOC from the South Western Railway is awaited to kick-start the ambitious project in the commercial capital. Incidentally, a year has been lost since the time the Centre had sanctioned the Rs 95 crore project in May last year.

Consider this: In May last year, the Central government had accorded approval for the construction of the Victor Hospital-La Flor hotel flyover at an estimated cost of Rs 95 crore. The approval came after the State government submitted a priority list of road projects proposed by Principal Chief Engineer, PWD, U Parsekar to the Director General (RD) & Special Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

Since then, the PWD, NH was appointed to execute the project, though the PWD, Roads was initially considered to build the ambitious flyover.

Things, however, seem not to have moved forward other than the PWD conducting soil testing of the site near the La Flor Hotel before preparing the final estimates.

Given that the flyover’s alignment will cross into railway property, a joint inspection of the alignment was conducted by a team of PWD and railway officials last year to ascertain the ground reality. Margao MLA Digambar Kamat had also joined the inspection to ensure coordination amongst the agencies and to clear all hurdles in the way of the flyover.

However, the PWD, NH is awaiting approval from the South Western Railway (SWR) to take the process forward. “The process of floating the tender will come only after the SWR gives the NOC, since the flyover alignment passes through railway property. The tender will be floated after the basic process is completed,” the official added.

Shedding light on the status of the flyover project, Margao MLA Digambar Kamat told 'The Goan' that the Konkan Railway Corporation has, in principle, agreed to issue the NOC for the flyover. “The KRC MD has expressed his full support for the project. We had a meeting with the KRC MD and he has given an all-clear signal for the project,” Kamat said.

The Margao MLA, however, said that since the head office of the South Western Railway is located at Hubballi, Karnataka, the request for the NOC will be deliberated at Hubballi and in Delhi. “The NOC from the SWR is required to take the process forward. We expect the NOC to come at the earliest,” Kamat added.

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No clarity over Comba crossing flyover

MARGAO: With the sanctioned Victor Hospital-La Flor hotel flyover stuck in red tape and pending an NOC from the Railways, the fate of the flyover proposed over the railway tracks at the Comba railway crossing remains unknown.

Principal Chief, PWD, U Parsekar had in November 2023, in a letter to the Director General (RD) & Special Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, New Delhi, also proposed a flyover to streamline vehicular movement at the Comba railway crossing due to the frequent closure of the crossing.

In the letter, the Principal Chief Engineer had proposed to the Centre to take up the Victor Hospital-Hotel La Flor flyover under the Central Road and Infrastructure Fund and the Comba railway flyover project under the Centre’s Setu Bandhan scheme. While the Victor Hospital-La Flor flyover found favour with the Centre, the fate of the Comba railway crossing flyover remains unknown.

Questions were raised in local PWD as well as political circles over the Centre’s decision to sanction the Victor Hospital-La Flor flyover when the Comba railway crossing flyover is considered the need of the hour. Margao MLA Digambar Kamat, however, had pointed out a year ago that the Comba railway crossing is also on the priority list of the Goa government, promising to get sanction from the Centre for the project.

When asked to shed light on the fate of the Comba railway crossing flyover, the Margao MLA said he is constantly following up with the State government as well as the Centre.

“Since the Centre had sanctioned the Victor Hospital-La Flor flyover last financial year, we expect the Comba railway crossing flyover to get sanctioned this financial year,” Kamat added.