Thursday 28 Mar 2024

CM snubs Chandor locals over proposed highway, but later relents & accepts memo

the goan I network | NOVEMBER 14, 2017, 01:14 AM IST
MARGAO
Chandor villagers opposing state highway passing through their village received a cold shoulder from Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar as he refused to meet them when they came with banners and placards against the proposed highway.
Before the Chief Minister along with TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai could descend at the Ravindra Bhavan, Margao, on Monday noon, for an inspection of the premises, the villagers had assembled at the entrance of the cultural institution with banners and placards, with a message opposing the state highway.
When the Chief Minister made his presence felt at the Ravindra Bhavan along with the TCP Minister, he was taken aback over the presence of the villagers with placards. In fact, he questioned why the villagers have come with banners and placards and made it clear to one of the villagers that he would not meet them in such environment.
While leaving the Ravindra Bhavan, the TCP Minister requested the Chief Minister to hear the people, only to be told by Parrikar that he would not meet them with banners in their hand.
After briefing the media on his visit to the Ravindra Bhavan, the Chief Minister later accepted a memorandum from one of the Chandor villagers, but not before telling him that there was no need for them to make a show, saying "without that also, I could have heard you".
Parrikar said he could have understood the people's action if the government had taken a decision not to denotify the state highway, before promising to study the matter and take necessary action.
In the memorandum, the villagers made a fervent plea to the Chief Minister to drop the state highway or wide roads passing through the village on grounds that the village cannot afford to have wide roads with heavy traffic plying on them in order to protect the heritage houses and structures.
They pointed out that the Regional Plan 2011 sent to the village by the government did not show any state highway passing through the village, adding ‘we were under the impression that no state highway was passing through the village.
"Besides, in the tourism master plan, our village has been earmarked for village stays and village walks and there is no highway passing through our village. Tourists do not visit noisy places where there is heavy traffic," the memorandum stated.
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