TEAM HERALD
CALANGUTE: Road-widening work along the Calangute coast has encountered yet another hurdle and this time it is through the residents of Candolim who have objected to road-widening and laying of footpath in the village.
But what has made the issue far more complex is Calangute MLA Michael Lobo’s stand in the matter. While Lobo was against road-widening work in Calangute a few weeks ago and had even engaged in a public spat with Calangute panch in the matter, Lobo is now supporting the road-widening work in Candolim.
While residents of Candolim have opposed the government’s decision to widen the road and reconstruct footpaths from Candolim Ximer to Sinquerim, the Candolim panchayat has also lent its support to the people.
At a meeting on Saturday, residents said they were happy with the present footpath constructed through the PWD during the tenure of the former Calangute MLA Agnelo Fernandes.
Opining that the decision to re-construct the footpath would cause considerable inconvenience to them, the residents demanded that the government should consider a bypass road to end the traffic woes in Candolim.
The meeting was chaired by Fernandes in the presence of the sarpanch and members of the Candolim Panchayat.
Speaking to Herald, Fernandes said, “Residents of Candolim have opposed Lobo’s plans to widen the road and re-construct the footpath in Candolim.”
“The Calangute MLA is illegally doing the footpath work without any sanctions, tenders, etc. How can the footpath, which is not even three years old, be removed and re-done when the last payment for the project was made only this year?”
“He (Lobo) is trying to create disturbance in Candolim by trying to force the footpath with an extended width on the narrow roads of Candolim. Residents of Candolim will suffer and lose their livelihood due to the decision of the Calangute MLA.”
On the other hand, Lobo claimed that a good footpath is the need of the hour to sustain tourism in Candolim.
“What we are planning to do is to widen the road at least 2 mtrs and re-lay the footpath from Candolim Ximer to Sinquerim. We will not demolish houses or structures, but some compound walls would be demolished and re-constructed.”
“The present footpath undertaken by the PWD is not suitable for walking and tourists could get hurt. We want a good and safe footpath with lights for residents of Candolim and tourists. We have done a stretch of 700 mtrs and the quality of the footpath is visible at the site. Except for a few locals, nobody has objected to the re-construction of the footpath,” Lobo said.
