Team Herald

MARGAO: Public Works Department Minister Sudin Dhavalikar on Wednesday commissioned the asphalting of road from Borim bridge to Tembi, Raia and assured that the road from Tembi to Arlem junction would be taken up next and completed by May this year.

Disclosing that the Margao-Ponda State highway will be a four lane road with a six lane bridge at Borim, he said that this road would become a tourist attraction and would add to the beauty of the State.

He said that the road from Tembi to Raia would be completed by February 2018 and that this 2 km long stretch would done up at a cost of Rs. 4.5 crore. Similarly, he said, the Tembi to Arlem junction road that is 2 km long would cost the government another Rs 4.5 crore.

“We shall have beautiful lights besides constructing a walker lane with some benches for people to sit along this road,” he said. Replying to a question he said a cycling track can also be provided if there is sufficient space.

Acknowledging that people in the area have suffered for quite some time because of the road works undertaken, he thanked the people for bearing with the difficulties. “Reginaldo your MLA used to raise this question at every assembly session including that of the previous government and even the session that starts Today,” he said.

He said the delay in the work was because they were laying a parallel 18 MLD water pipeline to supply water from Selaulim dam to Ponda.

 that can even be raised to 22 MLD if required. “We are connecting this new pipeline to the old at Tembi near the chapel so that the water supply problem faced by the people in the area is solved,” he said.

Informing that the old pipeline had to be replaced as it had become very weak, he assured that all the leakages in the old pipeline would be attended to once the work is completed.

He said by mid January tenders would be invited to build the bypasses to make the Margao-Ponda highway a four lane road and also to construct the 6 lane bridge at Borim.

He said the proposal to have a bridge on stilts in Navelim on the Western bypass has been sent to the Centre for its approval and that during the term of this government all infrastructure works in Goa including those of roads, bridges and water supply would be completed.

He said he was thankful to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari for sanctioning works worth Rs 15,000 crore for the National Highways in Goa and that works worth another Rs 8 crore will be sanctioned shortly.

“It is thanks to the chief minister that Goa has received this much of funding from the Centre,” he said.