Nath threat just pressure tactic,says Digambar

Nath threat just pressure tactic,says Digambar
HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, OCT 27
A day after the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways threatened to withdraw the national highway project from the State, Chief Minister Digambar Kamat termed it as only to exert pressure on the State to buck up.
Speaking to Herald this evening, Kamat who had a meeting with the minister yesterday evening stated that the minister wanted a formal proposal on what changes the State exactly wants in the alignments for both NH4A and NH17 projects.
“The minister asked us to make a formal letter on the exact width of the road and where exactly we would want width to be reduced to 35 meters, the number of bypasses, flyovers, bridges etc”, Kamat stated.
The chief minister said that in the next two three days his Government will send a letter to the minister on the exact alterations required in the alignment.
The union minister, who was in Goa to felicitate former Union minister Eduardo Faleiro yesterday, had threatened to withdraw the projects if the State delayed the land acquisition.
“We can’t keep funds blocked due to the delay”, the minister had said yesterday.
The minister, in a letter to the State, had also set a deadline of October 31.
“The letter was just to exert pressure on the State to buck up. In these situations you have to take decisions fast”, Kamat said.
Faced with oppositions from various quarters the State recently appointed a committee comprising of NHAI officials, PWD engineers, Land Survey officials and the local legislators, which looked into re-alignment and save maximum structures it can.
The committee submitted its report to the Government which, too, faced opposition.