With the relentless pandemic hitting hard and the State losing on revenue on many fronts, especially after the closure of mining, it is imperative for the Goa government to meticulously plan well in advance to garner revenue and at the same time lift the state gross domestic product. Opposition to projects is costing Goa in terms of revenue and livelihood. The Government of India is undertaking building of national highways in a big way and expanding it very rapidly, linking states from Delhi to Kerala. India will soon get connected, both in terms of better travel mode and telephony network. Meanwhile, river navigation and waterways connectivity are also on the swing. Air connectivity has scaled up and many new airports including one in Goa and several in the north eastern states will soon be made operational. Virtual connectivity has also made its way to the forefront. We will be a connected nation soon.
Similarly, the four-lane road stretch from Panvel to Kanyakumari will pass through Goa. With this new four-lane road the distance of about 570 kilometers between Panvel to Panjim will be shortened to 450 kilometers, which means the distance between Panvel to Panjim can be covered in about five and a half hours and Panjim to Mumbai can be covered in about six and half hours. It now takes around 9-10 hours to drive to Mumbai from Panjim. It used to take nearly six hours to drive down to Manipal, but now, many travellers have vouched that they take a maximum of four hours to reach Manipal. Earlier, driving from Cancona to Karwar would take around an hour, but with the new bridge in place, it takes barely 25 minutes. Recent media reports said that the Mumbai to Delhi highway is likely to be completed in next two years and the distance will be covered in about 12 hours. This also means that many travellers will emerge from states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat etc. who may take this route to Goa.
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Being a buffer State, naturally, Goa will have to be integrated with the South. This means that the State will soon have the advantage of having a good market and the business on this stretch of highway is likely to grow in a big way. People driving from Maharashtra to South India or otherwise, are more likely to take a break at this tourist State of Goa which in all probability will give rise to “highway tourism”. Many who can afford to travel in their private vehicles will prefer to do so, especially after this pandemic. This means that Goa will become a very high hotspot for “highway tourism” in the near future. There is opportunity for Goa to plan and map the land close to these highways so that revenue can be generated through the agriculture and hospitality sectors which will have to emerge as soon as the potential of “highway tourism” is realised. Coastal tourism is likely to have a competition within Goa from “highway tourism”. It is also likely to help the Goan industry for easier and quicker transportation of products in different states and the logistics cost will surely reduce.
The Government of Goa has the opportunity to undertake a massive highway development plan, identify the growth zones and incentivise areas near the highways which includes for setting up of gaming areas, malls, resorts, petrol pumps, service stations, food joints, clean toilets etc. This is also likely to raise employment. However, are we prepared to grab this potential opportunity in the coming years? This includes the willingness of the Goans, government and industry to latch on to this upcoming opportunity. Some of these suggestions were made during the pandemic in the Economic Revival Committee Report which was submitted to the State government last year. The concern is that if we do not start to act now, the neighbouring Sindhudurg district in Maharashtra is likely to usurp the advantage that Goa has. The land there is cheaper as compared to Goa and is available easily and there is already a beeline for those prized plots. Maharashtra too has the opportunity to develop these areas to draw “highway tourists”. The competition will be fierce in the coming future and the plan needs to be drawn by the Goa government now so that they are not caught off guard when the traffic in these highways starts rolling.
