Six-lane north-south express highway process mooted in Goa

Panaji, May 2 (UNI) The Goa government had made an aerial survey as part of laying a 93-km express highway linking the north and south Goa at a cost of about Rs.1200 crores.

Disclosing this to mediapersons here today, chief secretary J.P.

Singh said demarcation of the road would be made before the onset of monsoon and the government would tender expression of interest for techno-economic feasibility and consultancy for undertaking the task later.

Very few habitations would be displaced in the process while the highway would promote faster inter connectivity betwen the north and south Goa, he said.

The proposed India Reserve Batallion of Rapid Action Force in Goa would be ready by February 2007 with already 350 out of 900 constables recruited and sent for training for the purpose, he said.

Entire expenditure for the batallion would be borne for five years by the Centre which had also powers to deploy the force wherever it was required including neighbouring states in times of riots and major law and order problems.

At the sametime, the government had also decided to augment and further strengthen the civil police in Goa after reviewing the current strength and future requirements as per norms.

The state had deployed 3 batallions of the RAF of the CRPF and the CISF from neighbouring states following major communal riots in south Goa in February last to contain the situation.

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