VASCO: The chorus against the proposed doubling of the railway line cutting through Vasco city is growing with Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) being the latest one to join hands with other panchayat bodies to oppose the plan of South Western Railway.
It can be recalled that earlier three panchayats under Mormugao taluka — Cansaulim-Arossim-Cuelim (CAC), Velsao-Pale-Issorcim (VPI) and Sancaole — had declared their intention to oppose any proposal for the doubling of railway line passing through these three villages under Cortalim Constituency.
“Likewise CAC, VPI and Sancoale Panchayat bodies, even MMC will strongly oppose the proposed doubling of railway by SWR authorities. SWR wants to expand their operations and hence they are keen to lay second railway track, but they are doing this to increase movements of goods trains to and from Mormugao Port and not the passenger trains services from Vasco railway station and hence we will reject this proposal and will not allow the second railway track in our area,” said MMC Chairperson Deepak Naik.
Naik said that since last several years people of Vasco has been demanding the restart of a direct train services to Mumbai as it existed in the past. Similarly people from northern States who have been residing in Vasco had demanded an increase in the service of some trains including the Patna express as this train runs just once a week and there is mad rush for tickets on this train. Others wanted the Valakani express services to be run atleast twice in a week.
