PANJIM: It has been almost a year since work on construction of a bridge over the Cumbarjua canal connecting Cumbarjua and Gaundalim has been completed but for reasons not known to the villagers the inauguration has been delayed.
According to GSIDC officials the work was completed in early 2015 but the work on the approach road on the Cumbarjua end is yet to be completed.
Once this has been completed and the bridge thrown open the people would not need to travel by ferry to cross the canal. Also, people travelling from Panjim to Cumbarjua and vice versa will reach faster as they could then avoid the longer route via Marcela.
The project, which was initially estimated at Rs 43.97 crore has reached the figure of Rs 60 crore due to delay. The bridge has 10 spans of 32 metres each consisting of a steel girder system comprising of 80 metres of tied arch.
Locals say the bridge will cut distance by about 8 kms to reach Panjim from Sanquelim and vehicles would prefer the bridge to reach Panjim via Gaundalim, Old Goa.
Orlando Mascarenhas, a villager, said the government has been delaying the inauguration giving flimsy reasons as Cumbarjua is represented by the opposition.
Local MLA Pandurang Madkaikar of the Congress, when contacted, said he has taken up the issue with Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar as well as GSIDC officials but that didn’t give results. “You have to feel for the people here as they have given their land for the project and are yet to be compensated for it,” said Madkaikar adding, “the work on the roads had started just on NOCs.”
The MLA said the foundation for the first phase of the project was laid in 2007 during Pratapsingh Rane’s tenure as CM while for the second phase it was laid in 2013 by Manohar Parrikar, which is yet to be completed.
“The bridge will bring big relief for the people who are facing a lot of hardships especially at peak times due to traffic congestion and have to opt for the ferry, which is overcrowded at that time,” Madkaikar stated. He added, “People have to benefit as they have parted with their land.”
He says, he has also taken up the issue in the form of a calling attention motion in the Assembly but till now the government has only given assurances.
Queried on the reason for the delay, Madkaikar said, “Maybe it is funds, which is an issue for the government, but I think people’s projects need to be completed first rather than any other projects.”
GSIDC Managing Director Sanjit Rodrigues blamed the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for the delay in the project. “We were waiting for road widening and for that permission had been sought from ASI as it is a heritage site,” Rodrigues said.
He added that it is almost a year since permission was sought and now GSIDC and the government have to take a decision. Officials say GSIDC will also build a new road from Cumbarjua to Khandola. This will take traffic from Old Goa directly to Khandola via Cumbarjua without having to go via Marcela.
The route also has a railway level crossing between Old Goa and Gaundalim. GSIDC has plans to bypass this level crossing by building an over bridge there. Talks are on with the Konkan Railway Corporation, which might build the over bridge or entrust it to GSIDC.
