MARGAO: There was a major row at Navelim on Saturday after locals objected to the work underway on the controversial and much-opposed
Navelim-Sinquetim bridge project.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
Benaulim villagers were furious to learn that the agency constructing the bridge on behalf of the PWD, had filled up an age-old water body on the Benaulim side of the bridge.
After protests, they got the agency to remove the rubble that had been dumped into the water body. The villagers are also planning to maintain a vigil of the area. Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas criticised the government for carelessly destroying this water body at a time when it is speaking about maintaining all water bodies across Goa.
It may be recalled that locals from Navelim have also been vehemently protesting against the construction of this bridge. PWD Minister Nilesh Cabral had also inspected the Navelim bridge site.
Locals from both Benaulim and Navelim villages have questioned why the government is going ahead with the construction of the bridge, after the same project, which was left incomplete, had been scrapped by former Chief Minister (late) Manohar Parrikar a decade ago.
Former Navelim MLA Avertano Furtado added that the size of the Sinquetim bridge is 12 metres wide but the village roads of Navelim measure only four metres across. “This will unnecessarily create traffic bottlenecks,” he said.
Furtado also explained how Navelim is already well-connected via the Western Bypass and the Telaulim bridge. Villagers from both Benaulim and Navelim have vowed to continue opposing the construction of the bridge.
