Collector revives plan to move petrol pump out of Margao

MARGAO, DEC 20
More than a decade after the district authorities recommended shifting of the petrol pumps in the heart of the commercial capital, the authorities have yet again revived the proposal with the hope the fuel pumps will be relocated to the city outskirts.
If District Collector, South, G P Naik is to be believed, he has instructed the Margao Municipal chief officer as well as Sub-Divisional Magistrate, South to initiate the process so that the fuel pumps are finally moved out of the city.
“The administration has taken a serious cognizance over the traffic congestion in the heart of the city on account of the petrol pumps. We have decided to set in motion the process to shift the pumps outside the city,” Niak said.
He said no sooner the reports are received from the Margao Municipal chief officer and the RTA, his office will take further action in the matter with the cooperation of the petroleum companies. “We have received feelers from one of the petroleum companies about their willingness to shift their operations to the city outskirts. We welcome the gesture,” Naik said, while saying the government would help the companies to acquire a piece of land to set up the pumps.
Half-a-dozen petrol pumps are located in the heart of the city between State Bank of India and Gomant Vidya Niketan, with authorities saying the presence of the pumps is a major cause of congestion in the city.
Incidentally, the process to shift the petrol pumps have been hanging fire over a decade now, with successive district Collectors mulling shifting of the pumps without success.
Records indicate that the proposal to shift the pumps was first mooted way back in 2000 by the then district Collector. A host of meeting had taken place between the authorities and officials of the petroleum companies over the shifting, but the eagerly-awaited shifting is yet to take place till date.