TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: Chief Minister, Manohar Parrikar has stirred a hornet’s nest with his proposal to shift the Margao bus stand to the Goa State Urban Development Agency acquired low-lying fields admeasuring 1.35 lakh sq mts opposite the new Collectorate building.
The proposal was cleared by GSUDA when ex-Fatorda MLA Damu Naik was its vice-Chairman, while it has come under strong opposition from incumbent Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardessai.
Records reveal that the land in question was acquired by GSUDA for a truck terminus against the wishes of the farmers when Digambar Kamat was the Urban Development Minister in the Parrikar Cabinet. In fact, the then government had literally hurried with the land acquisition when farmers and local citizens of Madel objected to the acquisition of their low-lying agricultural fields.
Significantly, the truck terminus project was later scrapped by the Congress government after assuming power in 2005, but retained the acquired land in its possession for further development. Sources in the know informed that the Congress government had mooted a proposal to set up an amusement park on the acquired land by inviting expression of interest, but the proposal met a natural death even before any concrete development could take place on the land.
Inquiries have revealed that though the government had scrapped the truck terminus and later the amusement park, the agricultural fields were earmarked as high commercial zone in the Outline Development Plan (ODP) for Margao.
Herald now understands that before the Chief Minister threw the bus stand shifting proposal for public debate, GSUDA had adopted a resolution to build a bus terminus on the acquired land. “The resolution was taken by GSUDA after taking an opinion of the planners and other experts. It’s now up to the government to take a call,” remarked former GSUDA Vice-Chairman Damu Naik.
His rival and Fatorda MLA, Vijai Sardesai has vehemently opposed the new proposal. “How can the government think of building a bus stand by filling large tracts of land,” he asked.
Surprisingly, Transport Minister Sudin Dhavlikar had promised on the floor of the House last year that the Parrikar government is committed to implement the bus terminus proposal mooted by ex-Chief Minister, Digambar Kamat, on the existing bus stand. The Kamat government had laid the foundation stone on Dussehra day in 2011 to build an ultra-modern bus terminus for Margao with a provision for shopping malls, hotels etc. The proposal, however, could not take off following the rout of the Congress party in the March 2012 Assembly polls.
…PROPOSES FORMER FATORDA MLA DAMU NAIK
If one takes into account the future planning of Margao city, the bus stand should be shifted to the GSUDA land admeasuring 1.35 lakh sq mts. When I was GSUDA vice-Chairman, the governing council had adopted a resolution to use the land for a modern bus terminus.
The reason was simple: The Land in question was located close to the western bypass proposed by the government. If the bus terminus becomes a reality, then buses coming into the city from the Northern side can enter the bus terminus via the western bypass without entering the city.
The proposal for shifting the bus stand to the GSUDA land is kept for debate and discussions. Neither GSUDA nor the government has plans to bulldoze its way with the bus stand project on the 1.55 lakh sq mts of land. Let there be a debate threadbare on the issue.
…DISPUTES CURRENT FATORDA MLA VIJAI SARDESSAI
I fail to understand why the government has suddenly come out with a proposal to shift the bus stand to the GSUDA land. I don’t know whether Parrikar has inspected the GSUDA site before making the announcement.
Filling of the huge low-lying land would lead to flooding and inundation of low lying areas of Mungul, Madel, Dovondem, and areas in neighbouring Nuvem village.
Just imagine that the land admeasuring 1.35 lakh sq mts, which acts as a water catchment area during monsoons, is filled up. The consequences would be felt as far away in Mungul and Nuvem.
I wonder why the government has suddenly proposed the new bus stand when Transport Minister Sudin Dhavlikar had told the Assembly last year that the government is going ahead with the ultra-modern bus terminus at the existing bus stand.
