TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: The foundation stone for the Rs 103 crore pilot project of National highway NH4A four-laning from Panjim to Old Goa would be laid on Monday, however the actual work would commence only after St Francis Xavier Exposition, which is scheduled from November 22 till January 4, 2015.
Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Ramakrishna Dhavalikar said that the actual construction work of road would begin only in mid-January, next year to avoid inconvenience during exposition. “We had initially planned to complete the entire project before Exposition. However, (we) could not go ahead with the plan and hence its now decided that the work would commence only after the Exposition,” Minister said.
Dhavalikar said that over 50 lakh people are expected for the Exposition and “we don’t want to create any inconvenience to the pilgrims.” The foundation stone would be laid in presence of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, PWD minister and local MLAs Pandurang Madkaikar and Vishnu Wagh.
In a bid to reduce the increasing road accidents, especially of two-wheelers, the government has proposed the construction of a special 8 km long lane for motorcycle riders in the proposed four-laning.
The minister said that the government had decided to have all state and national highways as four lanes and in that the national highway road from Old Goa to Panajim would have a special three meters lane only for two-wheelers, as a pilot project. “This is basically an effort to see whether having separate lane would help in reducing road accidents involving two-wheelers,” he said.
As reported earlier, Pope’s ambassador to India Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio is likely to be present for the concluding mass of the once-in-ten-year celebration of the relics of St Francis in Goa.
