KARSTEN MIRANDA &
PRATIK PARAB
The BRICS summit seems to have put the PWD and the Electricity Department in high gear to enforce the orders of the State Secretary to clear all obstructions in the road widening areas of the road from Dabolim Airport to Mobor. The PWD seems to have gone overdrive to clear roadside encroachments, mud dumps, and cutting trees along the roadside as they try and meet the October deadline.
Goa will host the BRICS (Brazil, Russian, India, China and South Africa) summit on October 15 and 16 with around 900 delegates taking part.
For many, the widening of roads was needed given the growing population and number of tourists that visit the coastal belt and given the present bad conditions of roads, they are hopeful that the roads will get repaired soon and thus offer them relief.
However, they are concerned at the speed at which the work is being carried out and in that process, residents and business have complained that they have got affected as well.
For example, residents point out that the heavy earth machinery that has been engaged to clear the mud dumps alongside people’s compound walls along the route have also exposed the foundation of the walls with risks of collapse in the monsoons and also has led to unearthing of people’s water pipes and damaging them.
The Electricity Department also can be seen shifting the 220 V Electricity poles and uprooting the Ornamental street lights which were commissioned a few years back in the Benaulim to Mobor section causing loss of crores of rupees.
A big concern among businessmen is the removal of hoardings and signboards on the side of the roads. “We have guests who come from all over India or abroad and the only way they could find our place was through these signboards. It is easy to miss a turn to your place and if it was not for the signboards, guest would have to spend a lot of time just finding our place. This will adversely affect our business,” said Derek Fernandes from Benaulim.
“What has happens to the money spent on hoardings. We had a planned strategy and had come out with the hoarding advertisement. This is all very sudden,” said Dhananjay Karekar from Colva.
It is to be noted that all the hoardings/sign boards within the road widening area from Mungul to Green house Colva have already been removed. Directions have also been issued to Margao Municipal Council (MMC) to remove the hoardings as well as the bus shelters from Colva-Margao Junction to Mungul within the jurisdiction of Margao Municipal Council.
As per the directions given by the chief secretary, this office has given directions to the Executive Engineer, PWD VI (Roads) for trimming of trees and canopy cover, on the stretch of the route for the VIPs from Margao-Colva Junction to Green House, Colva and from Green House, Colva to Hotel Leela, Mobor.
The work of the said trimming of trees and canopy cover from Colva Junction to Green House, Colva has been completed with the help of the Fire and Emergency services. The above work from Green House Colva to Hotel Leela, Mobor is in progress.
Regarding roadside structures that were within acquired land, officials at the Collectorate added that structures from Mungul to Green House Colva have been removed. “Most of the structures as above have been removed by the residents of the area of their own accord. The locals fully co-operated in the demolition/removal of the above structures. The demolition squad provided by this office, however, ensured that all the structures within the said acquired land are removed. The three religious structures comprising of crosses will be relocated at a suitable land. The above work was carried out in the presence of a Joint Team comprising of Fire and Emergency Services, Forest Department, PWD, Electricity Department, and police,” said government officials.
On shifting of electric poles, power department officials stated that the work of shifting of electricity poles from the road widening area from Colva Junction Margao to Green House Colva is in progress and so far the work from Colva Junction Margao to after Mungul bridge 1 km near Hotel Colva Plaza has been already completed. From Green House to Hotel Leela 20 poles of 11 KV have been removed. From Verna to Hotel Park Hayat, Utorda 15 poles of 11 KV poles have been removed.
