Team Herald
MARGAO: Voicing their opposition to the ongoing national highway expansion plan, Chinchinim villagers on Monday appealed to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to instruct the Public Works Department (PWD) and National Highway authorities to construct a bypass road instead of a flyover on the NH66 stretch at Dandeavaddo.
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The delegation led by sarpanch Frank Viegas met the CM and Velim MLA Cruz Silva after the new jetty inauguration at Cutbona.
They explained to the CM how a flyover would not effectively
address the issue of traffic congestion in the area. Instead, the original alignment of a bypass road would better serve the purpose of decongestion.
The villagers also raised the long-pending issue of constructing the Chinchinim Panchayat Ghar on land acquired over a decade-and-a-half ago.
Acknowledging the concerns raised by the Chinchinim delegation, the CM said that he would discuss the matter with PWD
officials to find the most feasible route for the highway expansion. Sawant also promised to expedite the work on the Chinchinim Panchayat Ghar project.
The Velim MLA later informed media persons that the CM has agreed to convene a meeting with PWD officials and the villagers to further deliberate on the issue.
The Sarpanch emphasised that the delegation had impressed upon the CM how a road bypass would serve the purpose of highway expansion compared to a flyover.
It may be recalled that these two issues have been long-standing demands of the villagers and the panchayat had in the past even submitted a memorandum regarding the flyover to the Union Highway Minister Nitin Gadkari. The Central government had recently sanctioned funds for this project, which had raised anxiety amongst the local residents.
