ALVARO COLACO
CORTALIM
The State government’s plan to build a bridge over the tracks at Cansaulim-Arossim railway crossing appears to be only a dream, with no much headway except for assurances from politicians.
Despite resolutions by villagers of Cansaulim-Arossim-Cuelim and numerous inspections from local MLAs, authorities are yet to take serious note of the long-pending project.
It is exactly a year in September last year that the Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar along with Cortalim MLA Alina Saldanha had organised a meeting with the villagers.
The locals were assured by Parrikar that he would pursue the project which would serve a vital link along the coast on the busy Major District Road (MDR) from Mobor-Cavelossim to Dabolim airport and to the port town of Vasco.
Parrikar had also promised that he would direct the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC) to conduct the survey along with the PWD engineers to prepare the proposal.
With the present level crossing, at least three wards of Cansaulim village have been subdivided causing great hardship to local road users.
Says Dr Marconi Correia, a prominent physician from Cuelim: “It was late Matanhy Saldanha’s ambition to have an overbridge in Cansaulim and it was more important to him than even the market project or for that matter even the upgradation of Cansaulim Community Health Centre, so much so Matanhy had already reserved his land for the bridge.”
“The Cansaulim level crossing is the only bottle neck along Mobor-Cavelossim to Dabolim airport which if done away with, would bring about much relief to the people,” said Dr Marconi.
Stating that she was very much aware of the need for the overbridge, Cortalim MLA Alina Saldanha, who is also the Forest and Environment Minister, said she had already taken up the matter with Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.
“A few days back, I broached up the matter with the chief minister, who assured that he would soon convene a meeting with all departments to finalise the matter once for all. Not just the railway bridge, but also the other issues concerning the constituency would be taken up,” Alina told Herald.
The railways have been a source of botheration to the villagers of Cansaulim-Arossim-Cuelim. They had also expressed their opposition to the proposed expansion of the railway network, including a parallel line from Vasco to Collem, alleging that many structures, heritage houses and green areas would be endangered if the project becomes a reality. There was also a proposal to have a third line at Cansaulim station, which is on the South Western Railway route.
