<< [Goanet-news]17 SEP 2004: GOACOM DAILY NEWS CLIPPINGS SKYBUS ISN'T A SOLUTION: Is skybus a panacea for manifold traffic problems of Goa? And, is it worth spending Rs.500 crore on the proposed Mapusa-Panaji skybus link? Besides, is it an economically viable proposition? For, this much money could probably fetch at least 5,000 well built buses. And, if it is the case of option because the Mapusa-Panaji stretch of the national highway 17 is bearing heavy brunt of vehicular traffic, then until recently revival of river transport was considered an ideal solution.Now, the river navigation jetty too has been demolished because of the four-lane road linking Pato with Dona Paula. (Edit in GT) >>
<< Goacom.com DAILY GOA NEWS Clips Sep 16, 2005 Monorail project: A white elephant in the making? The monorail, as a full-scale urban transit system, is project as a safe, environment-friendly, sleek, silent and cost-effective mode. The Tokyo-Haneda Monorail has been gliding to and fro on its route from 1964. And it is popular in several countries such as Australia, Malaysia and nations in Europe...As far as Goa is concerned, the ground realities are different. Coming on the heels of a costly and massive fiasco of the Skybus project, CM Pratapsing Rane's statement that a proposal for floating a global tender to invite parties for an expression of interest to install the CNG-driven monorail on the proposed 45-km route from Margao to Mapusa, via Panaji, has to be taken against this background. Overall, it may be a proposal with merit but people need to know whether the traffic generated between the three cities is adequate in terms or viability to keep this mode of transport afloat, or whether it would end up as another white elephant like the Skybus project. (Edit, GT) >> Interesting is it not? We question the expenditure of Rs.500 crore, but, the Rs.2,500 crore expenditure *may be a proposal with merit*? How does one justify the huge difference in cost (approx Rs.675 crores) which excludes the cost of Land Acquisition? Who are the *Land Losers*? How much will they lose? How much will they be compensated? A CNG-driven monorail? Which oil company will this benefit? So many questions... Seems a fit case for a Public Interest Litigation! Lawrence