MARGAO: Assuring the people of Chandor that work on the railway underpass at Guirdolim will commence by January 15, Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant expressed his inability to change the State Highway No. 8 that was marked through the Chandor village into a village road.

The chief minister on Sunday met the locals of Chandor Cavorim and Guirdolim at the site where the railway underpass is proposed in the presence of local MLA Clafacio Dias where he discussed the issues pertaining to the two villages.

As officials including those of the railways said that everything was ready to start work on the railway underpass at Guirdolim, where presently a manned level crossing is managing the traffic across the tracks, he asked them to start the work latest by January 15.

Incidentally, the chief minister also disclosed that the railway over bridge across the railway tracks in Chandor at a different location would also be taken up shortly.

It may be recalled that the foundation stone for a 20 mts wide and 4 mts height railway underpass at Seraulim was laid on November 27 after the State government paid Rs 3.65 crore to the railways as its share of the cost of construction.

Chandor Cavorim Sarpanch Edward D’Silva and former sarpanch Celina Furtado raised the issue of the State Highway No. 8 demarcated as passing through their village and against which people have been agitating for nearly two years now.

The chief minister told them that the State Highway passing through Chandor Cavorim is cancelled and that while it would not be possible to change it into a village road, he said, it would be changed to a major district road.

As those present did not object to it, the chief minister assured those gathered that the notification converting the road to a major district road will be issued soon.