Team Herald
VASCO: Panic gripped Velsao village, particularly the Dando area, after the South Western Railway (SWR) announced the temporary closure of the railway crossing gate.
The closure, scheduled from Monday 11 pm until Tuesday 6 am, raised concerns among residents, especially what will happen if there is an emergency. Otherwise too the railway gate is closed for one-hour at a time, causing tremendous hardships to the people.
Aliston Pinto, a youth from Velsao brought the incident to the notice of former Velsao-Pale-Issorcim panchayat member Roquezinho D’Souza, who rushed to the spot and also spoke to Cortalim MLA Anton Vas and SWR senior section engineer M Gaffur.
D’Souza told residents that the SWR official had assured him that he will personally remain present at the railway crossing throughout the night and will see that the gate is opened in case of any emergencies. He had told D’Souza that the railway crossing gate was temporarily closed to carry out some urgent works.
While this immediate solution has provided some relief, D’Souza stressed that the village needs a permanent solution. He suggested that the Velsao-Pale-Issorcim village panchayat should submit a proposal to the local authorities to construct an underpass or a railway overbridge, as a long-term solution.