Recently the Central Minister for Road Transport Nitin Gadkari was in Goa for the inauguration of a flyover at Vasco. He made a very interesting statement asking the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant government to check on road encroachments. I presume it also refers to all roads in Goa. There has been road encroachment along the roads under the local bodies who feign ignorance or encourage such activities. My question also refers to government agencies along with the elected representatives have also encroached on public properties without obtaining permissions or the government has not even initiated land acquiring procedures, this too amounts to illegality by the PWD. It is okay when the public gives an undertaking for allowing part of their land to be used for road construction. Let us hope that the government will compensate such land owners first.There is no doubt that better road infrastructure is required but the government in power must pay for the land as everyone knows that land is costly and landowners should not lose their properties for free as when government charges taxes from the public it also should compensate.
