Team Herald
PONDA: Intensifying their opposition to the forceful highway expansion, residents of Bhoma on Sunday threatened to launch a large-scale agitation. They resolved that until the government addresses their concerns regarding the proposed bypass, the panchayat will suspend all communication with the government and boycott all panchayat-level programmes.
The villagers further warned that if the government and highway authorities continue to ignore the panchayat’s letters and resolutions concerning the bypass, the panchayat should consider closing its office as a form of protest.
Residents rejected the recent land acquisition survey conducted under the Chief Minister’s directives, stating it was unacceptable. They also demanded that the panchayat immediately halt the piling work that has begun in Muslimwada, Bhoma, for the flyover pillars.
Claiming they were never shown the alignment plan, the villagers pointed out that over 10 resolutions demanding a bypass have already been passed in previous gram sabhas. They fear the current project would destroy temples, homes, and the village’s cultural heritage.
During a gram sabha held at the Banastarim Market Complex Hall, attendees unanimously passed a resolution opposing the widening of the existing Bhoma–Old Goa road. Instead, they called for a bypass to be constructed through the fallow agricultural land in Bhoma and urged that the resolution be promptly submitted to the National Highway Authority.
Bhoma leader Sanjay Naik demanded to see the alignment plan for the National Highway expansion. He questioned the legality of routing the road through the middle of the village and called for clarity on cost implications before finalising the plan.
Naik insisted that the government must present the alignment plan to the public prior to starting construction. He also requested detailed estimates for constructing a four-lane road through agricultural fields, hilly terrain, and the existing road corridor.
He challenged the rationale behind limiting expansion to the current road, especially since a similar proposal was scrapped earlier due to local resistance when Manohar Parrikar was the Opposition Leader. Naik sought clarification on how that scrapped project had been revived and approved.
Local resident Anantdas Naik recalled that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had instructed PWD officials to show villagers the land demarcation in Bhoma during a meeting, which took place on April 22. Disagreeing with the demarcation, villagers submitted a letter on May 13 requesting a meeting with the Chief Minister to discuss the matter and seek a resolution.