PANJIM, APRIL 8
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today expressed its reservation about the four-laning of the Mollem to Panjim highway (NH4A) and opposed it alleging that the alignment has been selectively done. Around 1,000 structures will be axed if the current widening of NH-4A is carried out as per the alignment already planned.
These also include three religious structures that will be demolished in the widening of NH-4A, if the alignment is followed.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday here the opposition leader Manohar Parrikar alleged that the alignment has been done in such a way that certain structures have been selectively left out.
“Influential structures have been deleted”, he charged.
The issue was discussed in the Goa assembly last month and the chief minister had stated that he had already met the Union minister and requested to maintain a 45-metre width instead of 60 metres as this was expected to save the structures from being demolished, with the exception of a few..
Parrikar said though widening of the road is necessary , it cannot be done the way it has been planned. “There is no need for expansion of the road upto Panjim”, he said further adding that no notices were issued to locals nor was anybody being taken into confidence.
Referring to the issue of connectivity between NH17 and NH4A, Parrikar, said it could be attained at Sawantwadi as also at Chorla cutting out larger routes.
Parrikar also warned that any high handedness from highway authorities will not be tolerated. The highway authorities are reported to have said they will deploy paramilitary forces to deal with people opposing road widening.
Chargesheeted minister: “It has always been my stand that any minister who has been chargesheeted should go”, Parrikar said while replying to a question whether he will demand that Education Minister Babush Monserrate be dropped from the ministry as he has been chargesheeted in the violent attack on Panjim town police station in 2008.
Interestingly, Parrikar also pointed out that Monserrate was inducted into cabinet by Chief Minister Digambar Kamat after the town police station was attacked.
Kamat had clear knowledge that Monserrate had indulged in the attack, he said.
The only minister who had to quit the cabinet on the diktat of the high command was Dayanand Narvekar after he was chargesheeted in the ticket-gate scam.
However, Parrikar was quick to point out that Narvekar was not dropped solely for being charge-sheeted but for other reasons. Incidentally, at that point of time, the alleged real-estate scam in the Rajiv Gandhi IT Habitat had been exposed.
Another minister against whom a chargesheet has been filed is Vishwajit Rane – that is in connection with a case filed by activist Aires Rodrigues.
Flashback: In June 2002 when BJP government came back to power, Cumbarjua MLA Pandurang Madkaikar who was then chargesheeted in Goa State Cooperative Bank Ltd case, was inducted in the cabinet. Similarly was the case with Monserrate when he was made town and country planning minister in the Parrikar-led ministry.
