Team Herald
PANJIM: In an eye wash exercise, Niyaaz Restaurant located at the Merces–Santa Cruz junction, has dismantled just 3 metres of its existing structure with the major portion still being a hindrance for the National Highway expansion.
Questions are being raised on the role of the administration, which has spent more than a year stating that the land acquisition process is in progress for the expansion of the NH 66.
Government had said that the work of expanding the NH stretches in the State into four-lane roads is scheduled to be completed by December 2019. However, the road expansion work from Panjim KTC leading to Bambolim had hit a road block due to the land housing the Niyaaz Restaurant was yet to be acquired.
On Thursday, the restaurant dismantled an extended portion of the restaurant. The room which was an extension of the restaurant’s kitchen area was protruding around 3 metres onto the planned NH expansion.
Sources at the restaurant informed that the extended portion is being dismantled and a wall is being constructed facing the road to close the structure.
However, even after the dismantling the portion, the restaurant still creates a hindrance for the service road.
Herald on February 9 had highlighted how despite the expansion of NH66 progressing in full swing in North Goa, the Public Works Department and the National Highways Authority of India for some strange reasons haven’t been able to remove the alleged “illegal” structure right on the junction.
With monsoons arriving in less than a month, locals fear that the delay in completing the flyover work near the junction will cause havoc and inconvenience and may dislodge the normal traffic near the junction.
Currently, the flyover work has been put on hold for months due to the restaurant’s location right at the junction where the flyover has to be constructed.
