Team Herald
CANACONA: The construction and commissioning of the Char Rasta-Mashem bypass in November has reduced travel distance from Canacona to Karwar and other places along this route by 10kms, but for the commuters traveling by public transport this has not made any difference as all buses coming and going to Karwar still use the old road via Poinginim.
The construction of the new 7.74km 4-lane Char Rasta- Mashem bypass link named as “Manohar Parrikar Seaside link” has brought great relief to the commuters as the new road reduces not only travel time and distance but mishaps too as the old road via Poinginim is narrow and has innumerable blind curves.
The new Seaside bypass link has come as a blessing for most of the residents of Loliem-Polem panchayat as it takes little more than 7 minutes to reach Chaudi, the commercial and administrative town of Canacona taluka.
Happy over the happening locals tongue in cheek say that if they keep tea vessel on gas, they can go to Chaudi and come back with tea powder or sugar before it starts to boil.
Though this new road has benefited every section of the strong 55,000 Canaconkars and the thousands of motor vehicles plying on this NH66 road, but the bus commuters have not seen any benefit as all of the buses plying to and from Karnataka use the same old route to the dismay of commuters.
The authorities not paying any heed to the wishes of the commuters traveling by buses mostly to and from Mashem, Shelli, Polem, Karwar taluka and its adjoining areas are inadvertently paying the old fare as the distance and traveling time remains same for them.
This voiceless commuting community wants alternate buses going and coming from Karwar to be diverted over the new Seaside link so that they save precious time and at least ten rupees on one way travel.
“People who travel by public transport are mostly poor and if authorities don’t listen to our plea, then, we will feel that the new road which is built by spending Rs 300 crore is only for haves and not for have-nots,” a local from Canacona said.
