Team Herald
MARGAO: While the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department goofed up in a major way in identifying the State highways in Salcete, it is indeed ironic, the Public Works Department (PWD) neither knows the alignment of State Highway No 8 nor has its map.
That the TCP has blundered is not only evident from the plans submitted by it to the various villages in the taluka to prepare the Regional Plan 2011, but is also admitted by officials of the department. Senior Town Planner James Mathew while admitting the error said that unfortunately the mistake that had occurred in the 2001 Regional Plan was repeated in the proposed 2011 plan without rectifying the same.
The government had notified 8 State Highways in 1977 including two in Salcete which were State Highway No 5 starting at Margao and ending at Ponda passing through Borim. The other State Highway No 8 was starting at Margao proceeding to Sao Jose de Areal then to Chandor and culminating at Curchorem.
In the plan sent to Sao Jose de Areal for preparing the 2011 Regional Plan, State Highway No 8 was shown as the one commencing from the military camp area and ending at the cross roads at Guddi. The road coming from Davorlim entering the village at Mogalli and then moving to Curtorim was shown as not even a major district road but a mere 10 mts wide road.
In the plan submitted to the Chandor-Cavorim panchayat no State Highway was shown at all. Two major district roads (MDR) of 25 mts width were shown in this village: One entering the village from Guddi and joining the other MDR at Mena, at the cross roads near former Sarpanch Savio Henriques’ house.
The other MDR was shown as entering the village from Curtorim from the road by the side of the now defunct Mormugao Steel Limited across the railway track. However, this road is incomplete as a Rail Over Bridge is required and the permission for the same has been reportedly given by the railways only recently.
Meanwhile, as per the plan submitted to Davorlim-Dicarpale panchayat while not mentioning that it was the State Highway a 30 mts wide road is shown while the panchayat in their corrected plan has mentioned that it is the State Highway No 8
Apparently, the actual State Highway No 8 commences from the power house circle at Aquem, proceeds to Davorlim, Mogalli, Curtorim then across the railway track to Chandor and from there to Curchorem across the bridge over River Kushawati between Chandor and Assolda.
Incidentally, the State Highway No 8 has been wrongly marked at various places in the plans prepared by the TCP. In Sao Jose de Areal at Mogalli right up to Mormugao Steel Ltd in Curtorim it is shown only as a 10 mts wide road. Further in Chandor-Cavorim panchayat it is shown throughout as 25 mts wide road which is a MDR and not a State highway.
James Mathew admitted that there has been a mistake committed by the department but argued that since the State highways were notified in 1977, it was up there to public knowledge. However, Chief Town Planner S T Puttaraju said the plans are currently being rectified and this issue will also be addressed.
Meanwhile, it is learnt that the Public Works Department does not know the alignment nor has a plan for the State Highway. Executive Engineer Ratnakaran Challan while admitting that there is a confusion regarding the alignment suggested that the Land Acquisition Officer would be able to give the exact alignment.
Incidentally, while the Government notification of 1977 mentions the State Highway 8 to be from Margao – San Jose de Areal – Chandor – Curchorem, a letter issued by the Superintending Engineer to the Commissioner of Excise recently states that the highway is from Margao – Nessai – St Jose de Areal – Chandor – Curchorem.
Challan said that PWD generally depends upon the survey plans acquired from the Land Survey Department but confessed that his department did not have any plan of the State Highway No. 8
Significantly, as per the award dated April 24, 1989 in Land Acquisition Case No 99/54/LA/87 wherein land was acquired for “construction of balance link road between Margao–Chandor – Curchorem around 1 lakh square metres of land was acquired from the villages of St Jose de Areal, Curtorim, Cavorim and Guirdolim.
This implies that the State Highway No 8 passes through Curtorim village, which is not mentioned in either the notification by which the State Highway No 8 was notified, nor in the clarification issued by the Superintending Engineer.
