MARGAO: Even as Salcete Mamlatdar Vishal Kundaikar set in motion the process to map the liquor outlets likely to be affected by the Supreme Court order banning alcohol vends along the highways, the Public Works Department has sought clarification from the head office to identify the state highways in the taluka.
The Mamlatdar on Wednesday chaired a meeting of the special team constituted to identify and map the liquor outlets likely to be affected and by evening the team was supposed to commence the work with the mamlatdar making a fervent plea to the public to cooperate with the officials doing their work.
“We are only mapping the outlets to enable the government to take some steps to alleviate the problem they will be facing and this is not to demolish their establishments,” he asserted.
Notwithstanding the Advocate General’s advice to the chief minister as reported in the media, all liquor outlets including bars and restaurants were asked to be mapped.
Salcete taluka has part of National Highway No 17 and National Highway No. 17 B passing through it while National Highway No. 17 A passes through Mormugao taluka as it is from Cortalim to Vasco harbor.
NH 17 in Salcete commences from the airport junction at Verna, the Verna bypass, Nuvem, heart of Margao town, Navelim, Sirlim-Dramapur, Chinchinim, Sarzora, Cuncolim to the culvert after the police station there.
Salcete taluka has three State Highways as per the Official Gazette Series II No. 47 dated 17th February 1977.
State Highway No. 5 commences from the Old Market circle at Margao and proceeds to Loutolim before the Borim bridge after going through Raia and Camurlim.
State Highway No. 40 commences from Margao proceeds to Paroda then Quepem and terminates at Curchorem.
However, there is some confusion about State Highway No. 42 which as per the Official Gazette starts at Margao to Sao Jose de Areal to Chandor to Curchorem.
The confusion is over which road from Margao to Sao Jose de Areal is the State Highway as there are two roads leading from Margao to Sao Jose de Areal. While one going via the military camp is already part of State Highway No. 40, the other is the road going via Davorlim.
Officials were quick to point out that it could not be the road leading via Davorlim as that is incomplete for want of a connection between Sao Jose de Areal or Curtorim and Chandor across the railway tracks, besides the fact that a stretch of this road passes through Curtorim.
In order to clarify this, the PWD Margao division has sought a clarification from the head office to specifically mention which is the State Highway No. 42.
