PANJIM: The Ministry of Environment and Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has given its final approval to the Goa government’s proposal to divert forest land for the expansion of the Cuncolim-Canacona Highway via Karmal Ghat. In a communication to the government, the MoEF&CC stated that it has granted the final approval after considering the compliance report submitted by the State government.
The Union government had previously granted in-principle approval for the project’s stage I on June 28 of this year.
The expansion of NH 66 at Karmal Ghat had faced opposition from environmentalists due to concerns about its environmental impact. Some had proposed the construction of a tunnel as an alternative to avoid the felling of thousands of trees required for the project.
Canacona MLA and Goa Assembly Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar had been actively advocating for the four-laning of the Karmal Ghat road.
In March, the Union government had provided technical, administrative, and financial clearance of Rs 75.46 crore for the long-pending land acquisition required for the four-laning of NH66 from Char-Rasta (Canacona) to Bendurdem (Quepem), covering an approximate distance of 23 km.
