About a kilometer and a half of the four lane highway from Varunapuri, Mangor Hill junction to Gandhinagar is posing to be a risky stretch and has also become a health hazard for locals residing in the vicinity on account of dust pollution for the past decade. Due to the fact that the stretch has been left incomplete, people have been breathing dust.
Every time residents of the area have to commute, they are faced with dust and air issues. “The mud from the road rises every time a vehicle passes by which is very often and hence we are forced to breathe this. This has been going on for a while now and there seems to be no end to our hardship,” complains Shivaji Rathord, a resident of the area.
It has been learned that over 3000 people residing in Gandhinagar and those that reside at the naval quarters along the rest of the muddy four lane road are put through hardship. Additionally, authorities from the nearby schools and temples have also complained about severe dust pollution but all their complaints seem to have fallen on deaf ears.
“Apart from coal and bauxite pollution that we the people of Vasco and Mormugao have to face, we also have to contend with dust pollution. We have been filing complaints for a long time now but nothing has been done,” said Lavu Patil, another Gandhinagar resident.
It may be recalled that the muddy four lane highway has been lying incomplete for the last ten years after the boarder road organization took up construction of the highway from IDC Verna to Mormugao Harbour in 1999. The work on the highway has been completed up to Varunapuri Mangor Hill junction from IDC Verna which is a distance of almost 13km, while the remaining 5km portion has been left incomplete, mainly due to encroachment and other illegal structures.
Although the tripartite agreement between the Mormugao Port Trust, State Government and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has been signed to complete the remainder of the highway at an estimated cost of Rs 540 crore.
The work will, apparently, take another two and a half years to be completed. “Despite having no hurdles and encroachments from Varunapuri Mangor Hill junction to Gandhinagar, the work of the one and a half kilometer stretch could have been prioritized looking at the need and the grievances of the citizens who complained regularly about the severe pollution. But the authorities have failed to make any provision to fulfill the demands of the people. The promise of a 3m wide service road also remained unfulfilled,” said MMC councillor, Swami Dhanpal Kuppaswami.
A visit to the houses of people residing close to the affected stretch has revealed that they are forced to consume food covered with dust.
Herald meanwhile contacted Vasco MLA, Carlos Almeida to seek his opinion on the issue. “The hardship faced by the Gandhinagar residents is known to everyone and for this very reason I got a 3 meter road access till Ayyappa Temple. I will definitely ask the NHAI officials to tar the road till Gandhinagar. I am hoping that we can kick start this work soon,” he informed.
