Death of Neomi has left villagers angry lArlem-Borim road blocked for over two hours
TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: Camurlim was on the boil on Thursday as irate villagers blocked the Arlem-Borim road at Ambora for over two hours in protest against RTO and police authorities for turning a blind eye to overloaded trucks plying on the dangerous road, which had claimed the life of a 14-year old village girl on Monday.
Trouble started in the morning when a villager Romeo Fernandes stopped trucks overloaded with wooden husk heading to Dandeli-Karnataka from Vasco. As angry villagers poured in at the spot demanding action against the overloaded trucks, they demanded the presence of the authorities, including RTO and police, to initiate action against the erring trucks. What further infuriated the villagers was the fact that a truck which was detained and challaned on Wednesday was also part of the convoy transporting the wooden husk to Dandeli. Villagers claimed that RTO officials had found the truck unfit to carry the load and demanded to know how the same vehicle could ply again.
The situation threatened to go out of control at one stage as DySP Mohan Naik arrived at the spot with a strong force in riot gear to clear the road for traffic. While questioning the police presence, the residents demanded to know why the police did not act in time on Monday when the accident had snuffed out the life of 14-year-old Neomi Dias. “Why are the police come with lathis and arms? What wrong have we done to invite armed policemen to our village? If the police had to display similar action on Monday by mobilising cranes, the life of young Neomi would have been saved”, remarked Jesus Romao.
Curtorim MLA Reginaldo Lourenco, who was returning home from Ponda, was questioned by the protestors over the bad condition of the four-lane road. They told the MLA that the police turn a blind eye to the overloaded trucks, while harassing two-wheeler riders. Reginaldo later blamed the administrative machinery for the failure to address the public grievances. “There’s total failure on part of the administrative machinery. The authorities ought to have come here and discussed the issues with the local residents. The authorities concerned should immediately crack a whip against overloaded vehicles plying on the road”, the Curtorim MLA said.
The situation returned to normal after the arrival of Sub-divisional Magistrate Sangeeta Naik and RTO officers, who promised against the trucks after verifying the load on a weighing machine.
Both Sangeeta Naik and DySP Mohan Naik assured the villagers that the authorities would move a proposal to the Transport Director to depute RTO officials on the road to crack a whip against overloaded vehicles.
The road which was blocked for traffic from 1.15 pm was finally opened only at around 3.45 pm after RTO official Nixon Soares assured to get the vehicles checked at a weighing bridge at Fatorda.
