Team Herald
MARGAO: Residents and business owners from Nuvem have called on authorities to denotify the section of National Highway 66 that runs from Fr Agnel Ashram in Verna to Mount Carmel College in Nuvem, voicing concerns over the NH designation's impact on local traffic and utilities installed along the stretch.
Responding to the residents' request, South Goa Member of Parliament (MP) Captain Viriato Fernandes convened a meeting in Margao on Friday to address the issue. Local leader Eversan Valles and the group of Nuvem residents described the meeting as a "very productive" discussion.
During the meeting, citizens emphasised the potential safety hazards and infrastructure disruptions that could result from further widening the road, which is already lined with numerous educational institutions. They pointed out that there is already a functional bypass road running parallel, the Western Bypass, designed to handle the heavy traffic, making further expansion of the existing stretch unnecessary.
Authorities, including the Assistant Director of Transport, Executive Engineers of Highways, the Collector, and the Additional Collector, were present at the meeting. They assured MP Fernandes and the residents that a joint site inspection would be conducted soon to assess the situation and develop a solution to prevent further road expansion.
Residents have long been concerned that the highway expansion could encourage motorists to speed and endanger students and residents walking along this stretch, in addition to disrupting infrastructure such as electricity cables, telecommunication lines, and water pipelines.
Following the meeting, Valles expressed optimism, stating that the issue would likely be resolved soon, given the productive nature of the discussions and the authorities' willingness to consider their concerns.