Three and a half years have passed since the BJP which came to power promised the locals of Chandor, Guirdolim and Macazana a railway overbridge at the Guirdolim – Chandor junction. Cuncolim MLA Rajan Naik has faced the wrath of the residents over the matter as he failed to fulfil his promises made during the Assembly elections.
Locals were promised an overbridge within a year of coming to power. It was the main agenda of the BJP and Naik in his election manifesto. No efforts have been made by the MLA despite the lapse of so much time.
The railway line cuts through all the three villages. Villagers face a major issue therefore due to the non-availability of the bridge. The inconvenience caused is faced on a daily basis by the residents. School going children, college students, employees of various organisations, teachers etc who go to work have to wait a long time when the railway gates are shut to allow a passing train through.
A train passes by the junction every ten odd minutes and the vehicular lines consisting of small cars, two wheelers and buses keep growing as a result of the closed gates.
Many times, teachers and students are delayed to school due to the closure of the gates and they proceed to cross the railway line despite the gate being shut in order to reach school on time. This is dangerous and can cause a loss of life.
Sharmila D’Souza, a school teacher told Herald, “It is difficult for us to reach school on time. If we are even five minutes late to school, we’re marked absent for the day. I have noticed many parents and students crossing the railway line illegally in order to escape action by school authorities. I appeal to the MLA to fulfil his promise.”
The said junction is a centre point for the three villages and it is a link road for all three village panchayats. “The gramsabha of these three villages made numerous appeals to the government and authorities to construct the bridge but they have all fallen on deaf ears. The government is not keen on solving the issue of the people who voted for them,” said Santana Dias, another resident of the area.
When contacted, BJP sources said that efforts were being taken to construct the structure but due to technical difficulties and unavailability of land, this project has been kept in abeyance.
