PRATIK PARAB
Relief to the liquor traders of Margao may be delayed even further as the work of Western Bypass may be delayed till 2019.
The most awaited Western Bypass road of Margao may take longer to complete due to the controversies and the seasonal changes and also the time taken to get work done. The delay may directly hit the aspirations of the liquor traders of Margao as the Government will not be in a position to propose and alternative to the road passing through the town.
The Assistant Engineer of PWD, Laxmikant Naik, told Herald that 30% of the work of the Western Bypass is completed and is long overdue now. The work of the Western Bypass started in December 2015 and 26% of financial progress has been recorded till date in the job.
The 11.9 kms stretch of Western Bypass stretches from Verna to Dramapur near Navelim and nearly 30% of the work has been completed in one year and six months since its commencement in 2015.
The Rs 200 crore tender is presently being executed by an agency and the work will stop again during the monsoon. The AE told Herald, “We have lagged behind and are behind schedule of completion which was 24 months. Reasons are mostly because of the public demands of road above ground and others which may not be possible given the cost which will double,” said AE Laxmikant.
Xavier Fernandes, a bar owner, said “Is there a highway like road which they can notify and denotify the road passing from the town? There is none, and the fact is that the main portion of the road from Old Market to the fly over is also reportedly not notified as a Highway.”
Commenting on the delay in processing their request Xavier said “We had demanded decisive decisions on denotification of Highways in towns and also the aerial distance yardstick followed by the execution authorities.”
The future of liquor traders in Margao lies in the hands of the Government, who the bar owners allege, has not been able to solve the matter. With the main western bypass road set to be delayed till 2019 the problems for the bar owners may have just begun.
