Dears,
Please read the four reports, all filed in the HERALD on one day. If you can,
try to make sense of it all.
It does help when the PWD and Urban Development Ministers are blood brothers
and the supporter of the shopkeepers is out of the way! Ravanna's grave
...Rawanfond!
Mog asundi.
Miguel
Anti-mega housing activist assaulted at Dovonddem
HERALD REPORTER
MARGAO, SEPT 24 – Tension rent the air at Dovonddem here on Wednesday night
after an anti-mega housing activist was assaulted by rival group allegedly
supporting a mega project.
Agitated people, mostly women, rushed to the Margao police station demanding
against the persons involved in the attack on Damodar Bandodkar. They named 6-7
persons behind the assault, including Ward Councillor Johnny Crasto and
demanded immediate action against the accused. Bandodkar, whose shirt was torn
in the attack, has been admitted in Hospicio hospital. He too has named the
Councillor and a group of person for the assault.
The incident is believed to have occurred after a meeting called by locals to
discuss the mega housing project. Local ward Councillor Johnny Crasto was also
invited and he was questioned by the locals whether he is supporting the
project or not.
An anti-mega housing activist Domingo Fernandes said the people questioned the
Councilor whether he is supporting the project or not. “We all dispersed when
the Councilor said he is supporting the project. The assault on Bandodkar took
place minutes later”, he claimed.
Women activists told PSI Roopa at the police station that the accused persons
have resorted to intimidatory tactics and have threatened even women activists
to stone their houses and a saloon. “Women are being threatened and abused by
the accused persons”, they maintained and demanded strict action.
Councilor Johnny Crasto, however, denied the allegation that he was involved in
the assault on Bandodkar or for issuing threats. He pointed out that he was not
given an opportunity to speak on the issue at the meeting and was asked to say
yes or no on the project.
Crasto said that certain people are spreading news that the sausages business
would be shut down if the mega project comes in Davonddem. “Let me clarify that
I will be the first person to come on the streets if any attempt is made to
close down our traditional pig rearing and sausages business”, he warned.
MMC’s anti-hutment drive comes to a halt
HERALD REPORTER
MARGAO, SEPT 24 – Margao Municipal Council’s much-publicised drive against
hutments has come to a halt when it comes to Margao constituency represented by
Chief Minister, Digambar Kamat.
While the civic demolition team acted with alacrity on complaints of hutments
at many places in neighbouring Fatorda constituency, the exercise appears to
have gone haywire in Margao.
It’s not that the City has no cluster of hutments, but the civic body appears
to be lacking the will to crack the whip against the mushrooming slums.
When Herald contacted MMC Chief Officer, Y B Tawde why the stopped has been
stopped midway without removing the hutments from Margao, he said “The civic
body has found that slums behind the KRC Quarters are not of recent origin.
Hence, we have asked to voluntarily vacate the area within seven days time”.
Similarly, Tawde said instructions have gone to the hutments at the Aquem side
of the Margao Railway Station to clear the site within seven days.
“After the deadline, the civic body will crack a whip against all hutments”,
Tawde said, while denying that the drive has been suspended in Margao as the
constituency is represented by the Chief Minister.
Ward Councillor Savio Coutinho, who represents the KRC quarters area, says that
slums have been mushrooming in the area with the authorities turning a bind eye
to the problem.
Incidentally, former Chief Minister, Pratapsing Rane and current Speaker of the
Goa Legislative Assembly had cautioned the politicians and bureaucrats way back
in 2005 to keep a tab on mushrooming slums in the Commercial capital, but in
vain.
These Rawanfond structures to make way for junction widening
HERALD REPORTER
Churchill moots rehabilitation plan for dwellers
MARGAO, SEPT 24 – Three years after the inauguration of the four-lane bridge
with much fanfare, structures lining alongside the accident-prone Rawanfond
traffic junction will finally make way for widening of the junction.
For, PWD Minister, Churchill Alemao’s has mooted a dream plan to do away with
the traffic bottleneck by shifting the 20 shop and house owners and
rehabilitating them at a nearby land owned by the State Urban Development
Agency (SUDA). SUDA has already handed over 5000 sq mts of land to the PWD and
the process of issuing sanads to the stall house owners has begun.
If the PWD Minister is to be believed, the rehabilitation will take place by
next month after the standing crop on the SUDA land is harvested.
That’s not all. The PWD has resolved to develop the Rawanfond traffic junction
with participation of the private sector.
“My dream of clearing the bottle neck is coming true. The PWD has completed the
formalities are over. Hopefully, the rehabilitation should take place by next
month”, Alemao said.
As per the rehabilitation plan worked out by the PWD, each of the displaced
stall and house owner will be allotted 50 square meters of land on the SUDA
land. Of the 20 structures, 15 are business establishments, while the remaining
are houses.
It was three years ago that the Government had inaugurated the four-lane bridge
without making provision for the rehabilitation of the shop and house owners,
likely to be displaced by the widening of the traffic junction.
And, in the absence of any concrete plan from the Government, the Rawanfond
traffic junction literally turned into a death trap for motorists and
pedestrians, forcing locals to even lead protests, demanding road widening.
Fr Erodiano Fernandes of St Joseph Chapel told newsmen that widening of the
traffic junction would go a long way in controlling the accident rate.
Govt takes up 4-laning of Eastern Bypass
HERALD REPORTER
MARGAO, SEPT 24 – Margao’s much-talked about Western Bypass – mooted in the
90’s to decongest the Commercial Capital – may not have taken shape as yet.
But, there’s good news in store for traffic managers and motorists as far as
the Eastern Bypass – between Arlem and Rawanfond is concerned – as the
Government has taken four-laning of the bypass and has planned beautification
of as many as five traffic junctions on the stretch with private sector
participation.
That’s not all. There’s finally a ray of hope that the narrow Arlem-Borim
highway would be four-laned in days ahead, with the PWD taking up phase I of
the project at a cost of Rs six crore.
Good news is that work of four-laning of the Eastern Bypass and the Arlem-Borim
has commenced in right earnest and is being taken up in phases. The four-laning
of the Eastern Bypass will not just ensure smooth vehicular flow, but do away
with the current practice of dumping garbage, waste and construction debris
along the route.
Says PWD Executive Engineer, Anil Ringe: “All the traffic junctions at Arlem,
Housing Board, Power House, besides Rawanfond will be beautified along with the
four-laning work”.
According to Ringe, the Eastern Bypass is the most important link to avoid
congestion in Margao.
“The PWD Department headed by minister Churchill Alemao has sanctioned enough
funds for the two major works”, he added.
With regards to the Arlem-Borim road, he said the entire stretch of road would
be four-laned in phases. “Presently, we have taken up the Arlem-Uzro stretch at
a cost of Rs six crore. The second phase will be taken up on the Uzro-Borim
stretch” he added.
Replying to a question, he said the Eastern Bypass is proposed to be connected
to the NH-17 at Dramapur via Mandopa.
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