Team Herald
MARGAO: The Margao western bypass, inaugurated with much fanfare just before Christmas, has quickly turned into a source of frustration and concern for locals and commuters alike. The bypass, which includes the newly-opened 2.75 km Benaulim-Seraulim stretch, remains without a proper notification designating it as part of National Highway 66.
Meanwhile, the original NH66 passing through Margao has not been de-notified, leaving motorists confused and traffic management plans in limbo.
The delay in putting up signboards at critical entry and exit points at Navelim and Verna was another key point of frustration. Plans to divert heavy vehicles travelling between Canacona and Ponda to the bypass, which were expected to alleviate congestion in Navelim, remain confined to paperwork. Authorities have shifted responsibility between departments, admitting that the notification process for the bypass is still underway. This bureaucratic delay has left the bypass in administrative ambiguity, creating ripple effects on traffic management in the region.
Safety concerns have also plagued the bypass since its commissioning.
Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas and other local residents have also repeatedly expressed frustration over a lack of planning, citing frequent accidents on the service roads due to inadequate traffic control measures.
Viegas criticised the authorities for failing to install effective speed control mechanisms, pointing out that the existing rumbler strips are too thin to regulate speeding. During a recent inspection, suggestions were made to thicken the rumblers and extend them closer to the underpass to curb reckless driving, but no immediate action has followed.
The bypass has also been a sore point for residents of Benaulim, who had long demanded its construction on stilts to minimise environmental and community impact. Viegas lamented that even this basic demand was ignored, leaving villagers to deal with the fallout of a poorly executed project. He attributed the current challenges to the lack of foresight by previous governments and urged the authorities to implement immediate measures to reduce accidents and improve traffic safety.