Team Herald
MARGAO: Benaulim and Seraulim residents are worried that the ongoing work on the proposed Western Bypass will lead to flooding of their villages.
While the locals of Seraulim have protested in front of the District Collectorate, held public meetings, passed gram sabha resolutions and demanded a flyover instead of the proposed western bypass, the residents of Benaulim fear that the bypass will pass through the catchment area, and with no place for water to go, the area will flood.
Benaulim residents had highlighted this at the last gram sabha and expressed fears about the implications of filling up low-lying areas to facilitate the construction of the highway, which they said would adversely affect all the villages along the River Sal.
“Benaulim and the surrounding villages will be submerged under stormwater. Besides the water entering the households, there will be diseases due to the stormwater getting stagnated. The filling up of catchment areas along the riverbanks has already caused havoc, with Benaulim getting flooded every monsoon. This cannot be conceptualised by the authorities sitting at the drawing board, but should be finalised only after taking the stakeholders on board. The Western Bypass in its present form will spell doomsday,” said Rudolf Barreto, a local.
Sarpanch Remedious Fernandes echoed the sentiments of the villagers and said the panchayat is with the people. He said that the panchayat had already made representations to the District Collector on the Western Bypass after passing a panchayat resolution on the matter.
The villagers’ concerns were also heightened by the recent statements made by PWD Minister Sudin Dhavalikar that their demands would depend on additional funds provided by the Centre and the failure of the Chief Minister to reassure the public who attended the presentation on the project at the District Collectorate recently.
While the affected residents of Fatorda, Navelim and Nuvem constituencies have also demanded that the PWD submit its detailed plan and feasibility report before carrying out the work, Benaulim residents have questioned what steps have been initiated to ensure that there will be no flood-like situation.
