Team Herald

MARGAO: Former Deputy Chief Minister of Goa, Vijai Sardesai has announced that the plan to name a road after former CM (late) Manohar Parrikar has been deferred. 

He added he doesn’t want to trivialize the name of a deceased person and further muddy the water. This decision comes just a day before the planned ceremony of naming the road from Arlem Junction to Ravindra Bhavan Junction. 

"We will schedule it for some other time. This is the first operational model of the road, which the govt still plans to have elsewhere. We will later develop the road into an avenue promenade or boulevard", Vijai added. 

While citing reasons for the deferment Vijai said, “Deferred because firstly Congress doesn't seem to like it and they seem to be against Padre Miranda, St Joaquim Ulhas Buyao and also Florian Vaz. The govt too seems to be playing on the same wicket and delayed the decision at the DMA when the function was planned on December 13,” said the Fatorda MLA.   

"We had announced the naming of road in Parrikar’s name as a token of gratitude towards the work he helped us complete. A group of councillors have contested the naming and the order is reserved,” he added further. 

He later gave a timeline about the work and questioned why the road had not been constructed 11 years ago when it was acquired.

He also referred to  BRICS in 2016 and how he insisted on the expansion of the road for football matches.  

“In August 2016, the tender was floated and 2017, the same work was tendered. In 2019, the work was completed in all aspects. Road tender was 20 crores, 5th feeder electricity -Rs 25 crores extra, sewerage works -5 crores, Water parallel pipeline -2 crs; which totals to Rs 52 crores for the completion of the work" said Vijai, while adding that ‘it is not less money and the road is not less iconic’. 

"We have given benefit of FAR to people and it is the sum total of all the sacrifices and hard work of the people of Fatorda. The road should be named after the people of Fatorda as they have given a lot for the work" said Vijai, 

When asked to comment about the recent naming of the roads by others, Vijai replying saying, "I feel there shouldn't be trivialization or creation of controversy on the names of persons who are deceased. Naming and trivializing the deceased is not a good sign. There are many things that have been decided and naming Parrikar is not the only work we have. It is the resolution of the council. We are interested in the work of the road and I will personally stand on the road and monitor the signal and the traffic flow for coming days," Vijai added. 

Speaking about the opposition from the councillors, Vijai pointed out that the resolution that is now being contested - was the same one that the councillors themselves had passed. “Subsequently as an afterthought of some politicians, they can’t change the resolution of a council and if this continues, it going to set a bad trend for the future," Vijai added.  

While commenting on Parrikar’s legacy, Vijai said "I can't hijack his legacy of Parrikar. He was a RSS ‘shakha’/ political activist who became a politician and I can't be that. I wasn't in his party. I am not joining BJP and Parrikar never left the BJP.