Fear bottlenecks after opening of by-pass
TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: Fearing traffic bottlenecks once the Nuvem bypass road becomes operational, residents of Nuvem on Sunday have called for the construction of a flyover along the Nuvem-Majorda road to tide over the traffic bottlenecks following the commissioning of the bypass.
At a meeting held on Sunday, which was attended by local MLA Mickky Pacheco, the residents pointed out that with the school and the Church located close by, little children will be put into lot of inconveniences. A memorandum signed by around 450 residents pointed out that the resolution for a flyover along the Nuem-Majorda road was passed at the Nuvem gram sabha on October 20, 2013.
Speaking at the meeting, Jose Roque Andrade said that villagers residing on the eastern and western side of the Nuvem-Majorda road will face severe difficulties to cross the road due to the heavy vehicular traffic. Responding to the suggestion, Mickky said whether the people want a flyover, a box culvert or some other solution can be discussed with experts from various departments.
“I will call a meeting of the experts drawn from various departments to help find a way to the issue. This road problem will not only effect the residents of Nuvem, but villagers from Betalbatim and Majorda. Let the experts along with the villagers take a call on the issue”, he said.
Andrade also highlighted the issue of industrial slag being used for the embankment for the Nuvem bypass. While demanding that the same should be tested, he said proper procedure should be followed if the report says that slag is suitable for road filling. He, however, lamented that the authorities have till date not submitted to the residents a report on the use of slag for land filling.
The residents also demanded that the authorities have so far not conducted an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report since the bypass road is built in wet land and agricultural land where both Kharif and Rabi crops are cultivated. “We want the EIA study to know the impact of the road filling will have on the environment.
The authorities should also ensure adequate provision for water flow from the higher level, from the eastern side of the road to River Sal as per the gram sabha resolution”, Andrade said, while demanding preventive actions to avoid manmade disasters.
The meeting was attended by Sarpanch Reuben Costa, panch members, besides Nuvem ZP Member Wilfred D’Sa.
