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Infra, education to get top priority: Parrikar

n Says of 21 national highway projects, 6 have bottlenecks n claims mining has turned out to be a complicated issue

| JUNE 19, 2018, 08:05 PM IST

the goan I network

PANAJI 

Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has said he will try and prioritise the execution of his plans which he could not read out in his Budget but for which budgetary provisions have already been made.  

Asked to comment on what would be his focus areas now that he is back, Parrikar spoke of clearing the bottlenecks in infrastructure projects and the education sector.  

“I have already started going into the execution of budgetary areas that I could not read out as a speech, but the provisions are there and we have started on that. One, of course, is infrastructure completion at a fast pace,” Parrikar said.  

“Because Goa is a small state, land is an issue, environmental sensitivity is sometimes slightly on a higher side. It is obvious it should be because that is what protects the environment -- sometimes it protects the environment. But sometimes it still becomes a bottleneck. Infrastructure bottlenecks have to be taken up. There are about 21 projects of the national highway of which about 5-6 projects have bottlenecks,” Parrikar said.  

“Some have major bottlenecks. The rest are minor which are mostly surmounted. Most of the bottlenecks are within the government like the completion of Mandovi bridge. Mandovi bridge is moving towards completion, this year it will be opened for traffic. I want to get the Zuari bridge done fast. Old Zuari bridge is quite in a bad shape though it is safe. We are monitoring it constantly. In the same way the roads at Galgibaga Talpona need to be completed, port connectivity, etc. Parrikar said.  

“In education sector there are a lot of reforms which are being carried out and are now visible in higher education,” Parrikar said.   

On the mining issue, Parrikar said he was “taking stock of the situation” and that the issue is inherently complicated because it has arisen from a decision of the Supreme Court. “Though I was briefed about everything, now since I am here I am taking stock of the situation. That issue can also be sorted out. It is a complicated issue because the issue is out of a judgement of the supreme court so has to be carefully thought out,” Parrikar said.


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