Alemao's resolution against expressway rejected

Panaji, July 20 (UNI) The Goa Legislative Assembly today rejected private member Churchil Alemao's resolution against the setting up of a six-lane expressway in the state.

Replying to the debate on the issue, PWD Minister Ramakrishna S Davalikar told the House that the prestigious project was proposed under Public-Private-Partnership, envisaging Rs 2,500 crore expenditure. A global tender had been floated for consultancy and feasibility report.

Such expressways, besides another international airport at Mopa in North Goa, is the need of the hour to further promote tourism in the state, he said.

The Minister also presented a break-up of the project which included a second bridge on Mandovi and on Zuari and assured the House to keep copies of the alignments of the project as desired by the Opposition.

The project no longer was six-lane now as it confined to widening of the National Highway, wherever necessary, with bylanes so that it eased traffic congestion.

Save Goa Front president Churchil Alemao, while moving the resolution, contended that the expressway would ''divide the villages and destory about 7,000 heritage houses and farm fields and establishments including hotels, and hence the proposal be rejected.

He did not yield to the suggestion of the PWD Minister to withdraw the resolution, saying he would stick to his point.

BJP Opposition leader, Manohar Parrikar, quoting a government document, said the proposed 135-km north-south expressway linking Patradevi with Poriem would cost Rs 2400 crore to the exchequer.

He told Power Minister Alexeio Sequeria that the Congress Legislature Party decision had nothing to do with the House as the proposal came out from the government.

He also told the House that the government has not come out with any alignment particulars related to the project.

Opposing the resolution, Finance Minister Dayanand Narvekar said the expressway would ease traffic congestion and benefit the posterity, besides arresting traffic mishaps.

''We are sending wrong signal to the people of Goa and the resolution should be totally rejected as it does not benefit the development of the state,'' he said.

For some people, he said, it had become a fashion to oppose all developmental projects, including the Konkan Railway, Mopa Airport, IT Park and others. The merits and demerits would be decided only after all the parties sit together and discuss the issue threadbare.

Mr Narvekar also regretted how the proposal for building an international airport at Mopa in North Goa had been temporarily suspended during the time of election with ''vested interests trying to politicise the issue with North-South divide with a chauvinistic approach''.

Earlier, Mr Alemao introduced a bill amending the Goa Town and Country Planning Act for checking haphazarded planning of cities and towns.

The loopholes in the Act are being misused by the developers, in particular, to put up projects in areas which had not been finalised in the outline development and govenment plans, he said.

UNI