MARGAO: The government on Thursday set in motion work on the widening of the Arlem-Raia killer road at an estimated cost of Rs 7.76 crore, even as PWD Minister Sudin Dhavalikar squarely blamed politicians and political interference behind making the entire stretch accident-prone zone.
“The accident-prone Arlem-Raia ought to have been 7.5 meter wide on either side of the lane, but the road became narrow after politicians descended on the field to dictate terms to the officials. The compound walls and houses were not razed down as per the land acquisition rules but on the whims and fancies of politicians”, Dhavalikar claimed while addressing a function after laying the foundation stone for the road widening project in the presence of RDA Minister Mickky Pacheco at Ambora-Loutolim on Thursday. “Politicians should not interfere in technical matters, which can cost the lives of innocent motorists and pedestrians using the road,” he said.
Dhavlikar said the principles of road engineering were given a go by when the road was being planned as per the dictates of the political class, while blaming the engineers for their failure to put their foot down.
In his address, RDA Minister Mickky Pacheco said many lives have been lost and many others were left handicapped due to accidents on the killer road because of interference by politicians. “We can only seek good blessings for these politicians and pray for the handicapped for their suffering for no fault of theirs”, Mickky said, while urging the PWD Minister to build a pathway for the benefit of the pedestrians.
While work on the road widening project will commence by March 10, the entire work is expected to be complete by March 3 next year.
