Under pressure, Nilesh Cabral agrees to help in de-notifying State Highway 8

Team Herald

MARGAO: MLA Nilesh Cabral was compelled to agree to help the locals from Guirdolim and Chandor to de-notify State Highway 8 on grounds that it would destroy the local heritage and further assured the villagers that he would accept the proposal for a road over bridge at the existing level crossing if the locals submit a drawing for the same.

A special meeting was called by Chandor Cavorim Panchayat following a demand from the villagers at the gram sabha held on August 20. Local MLAs Clafasio Dias, Nilesh Cabral, locals from Chandor and Guirdolim and some from neighbouring Paroda attended the meeting.

Speaking on behalf of the villagers Joy D’Silva stressed on the need to have a motorable access across the South Western Railway track in the village, as people face a lot of hardships due to the movement of trains especially at the time of a funeral when people have to cross the tracks to come to the church.

Pointing out that South Western Railways were in the process of laying a second track, he suggested that the railway tracks be raised at the level-crossing so that the tracks go above the road.

Raising the issue of the State Highway 8, Darwin Cardoso pointed out that it would destroy the heritage of the village which is aplenty since it was the first capital of Goa during the 11th Century. “We want development but not at the cost of losing our heritage,” he said.

He also pointed out that the Tourism Master Plan proposed ‘village walks’ and ‘village stays’ in Chandor and expressed fears that this would never take off if the State Highway passes through the village. Besides, destroying heritage monuments like the church, the Braganza mansion and Fernandes house, the State Highway would also pose a grave danger to the students as it would be adjacent to the school.

Vienna Fernandes who lives in the centuries old Fernandes house known as ‘Ollem Ghor’ shared her experience and pointed out that their walls vibrate whenever a heavy truck passes by and the cement plaster has become loose and even falling off at some places.

Former sarpanch of Guirdolim Agostinho Antao pointed out that the two Regional Plans of 2001 and 2011 and even the one that was proposed for 2021 did not show any State Highway passing through the village and instead all plans showed the State Highway to be passing from Davorlim Dicarpale to Sao Jose de Areal and then to Paroda.

Further, he pointed out that while the Public Works Department does not have a plan showing the State Highway 8, it has acquired land up to Gudi for a state highway while from Margao to Chandor land is acquired only for a stretch of a few kilometers to enable a state highway.

Another villager Domnick Mendes stressed the need to drop State Highway passing through the village as it would result in destroying the very places tourists are now coming to see in the village. “The heavy traffic passing along the highway will be death knell for us and our children,” he said.

Right at the beginning MLA Clafasio Dias stated that he was with the people and would stand by them and added that the purpose of the meeting was to find a solution to these two issues and further added that if necessary, another meeting could be held subsequently.

Nilesh Cabral welcomed the healthy debate and revealed that officials of South Western Railways, Bharat Rail Nigam Ltd, PWD and GSIDC had stated that an over bridge at the level crossing was not feasible because the required gradient was not available.

He dismissed the suggestion to raise the railway track on grounds that it would entail raising the tracks over a substantial distance as the trains will be travelling at a very high speed. However, as the villagers kept raising various points including the ‘S’ shaped bridge across the Konkan Railway track at Margao, he said if a design for an road over bridge was submitted by the people, he would consider it.