Villagers reject Parrikar’s proposal to construct small bridges along flood plains; PWD, NH officials ‘clueless’ on how to go about with work
the goan I network
MARGAO
Work on the Western bypass along the 3-km Benaulim-Seraulim stretch has hit a dead end with the villagers rejecting Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar’s proposal to construct small bridges along the flood plains of River Sal and the PWD, NH officials and the contractor having no idea how to go about with work on the Rs 2.71 crore four-lane bypass project.
Union Surface Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari’s presence in the State earlier this week could not help clear the cloud of uncertainty hanging over the project as he has asked TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai to come to Delhi with a detailed project report on construction of the Western bypass on stilts passing through the Benaulim-Seraulim stretch.
Project head, Rivzi Ansari, when contacted by The Goan to shed light on the construction of the project through the Benaulim-Seraulim stretch, said he is awaiting communication from the PWD and the contractors how to go about the work. “Right now, I have stopped work on the Benaulim-Seraulim stretch after the local residents rejected the proposal to build smaller bridges for drainage of rain water. Let us wait and see how things unfold. Right now, we have stopped work on the Benaulim-Seraulim stretch,”
Ansari said.
The presence of Union Surface Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari earlier this week in the State in connection with the mining crisis had raised hopes of a solution to the western bypass row after TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai took up the issue with him. “I have made it clear to the Union Transport Minister that people are not ready for land filling to build the bypass. I have also impressed upon Gadkari that the bypass is passing through the flood plains of these villages, including Mungul and Comba, which falls in my
Fatorda constituency,”
Sardesai said.
The TCP Minister said that Gadkari, while giving him a patient hearing, has requested me to come with the detailed project on the bypass on stilts during his next visit to Delhi to work out a solution.
Sources said the Union Minister did not hand out any commitment to build the bypass on stilts along the Benaulim-Seraulim stretch, but at the same time neither rejected the TCP Minister’s proposal for construction of the bypass on stilts.
Incidentally, the PWD, NH-17 had come out with a fresh proposal of constructing small bridges and culverts as per the directions of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, which, however, had
failed to find favour with the villagers.
Take the case of Benaulim. The PWD has proposed as many as three concrete box culverts of different sizes along the bypass route
passing through the village, apart from the six jumbo size water ways proposed along the bypass.
Similarly, the PWD, NH-17 had proposed three concrete box culverts of varied
sizes, besides a jumbo size waterway.
Incidentally, though work on the 11.5 km western bypass had begun over a year and half ago, work has progressed to a great extent along the Telaulim-Navelim stretch, besides the Nuvem stretch.
sigh of hope
Union Surface Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari who was in the State earlier this week has asked TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai to come to Delhi with a detailed project report on construction of the Western bypass on stilts passing through the Benaulim-Seraulim stretch
No. of culverts proposed
AT SERAULIM
Concrete box 3Mx2M 2 Nos
Concrete box 2Mx2M 1 No.
Jumbo size water way 12Mx2M 1 No.
AT BENAULIM
Concrete box 3MX2M 1 No.
Concrete box 2Mx2M 1 No.
Concrete box 3Mx3M 1 No.
Jumbo size water way 12x2M 3 Nos
Jumbo size water way 6Mx3.8M 3 Nos
