The Times of India Waiting for a bridgeTNN | Jan 9, 2015, 02.00 AM ISTREAD MORE Times Panchanama|Isidore DomnickMendes|Chorao|Chodan-Madel|BridgeIsidore Domnick MendesChorao, spread in an area of 21 sqkm, is the biggest out ofthe total of 17 islands beautifying the landscape of Goa and this island inTiswadi taluka can be accessed by ferries from two jetties, Ribandar andPomburpa as well as two bridges; the 32-year-old Tikhazan bridge at Bicholimand 1-year-old Calvim bridge at Aldona. This beautiful village sits on thebanks of the River Mandovi and houses a population of around 6,500 persons outof which approximately 4,500 are registered voters. But, for years now, thevillagers have been facing the problem of commuting; be it to Panaji, Bambolimor Porvorim and surrounding areas as it lacks a direct access to both; theTiswadi mainland and Bardez.In order to get into the ferry every morning and evening,there is a serpentine queue at the Chorao-Ribandar jetty and Ribandar-Choraojetty. The four ferries operating at this stretch are overused as they cater tocommuters coming not only from Chorao, but, as far as Bicholim and Sattaritalukas. The daily travel by the Ribandar-Chorao ferry over the River Mandoviis extremely time-consuming.For example, if a villager has to go by public transport orby his or her own vehicle, he has to spend a minimum of 15-20 minutes duringpeak hours and 10-15 minutes during non-peak hours to get into the ferry andthen cross the river in it. Villagers further admit that travelling back andforth to Panaji and its surrounding areas by bus is more time consuming andstressing. "For everyone, be it office goers or students, it becomes anuphill task to reach their respective places be it in the morning and evening.As the Ribandar-Chorao jetty is catering to so many villages, it is no morefeasible to provide an optimum and efficient service. Direct access via abridge is the need of the hour," says Premanand Mhambre, an ex-sarpanchand retired headmaster of Dayanand High School. He is a resident ofPasso-de-Ambarim which apart from Chorao and Caraim are the three villages ofChodan-Madel panchayat.Chorao, which is surrounded by three talukas, Bicholim,Tiswadi and Bardez has nine vaddos (wards) including Saud, Deugim, Chamberm,Madel, Kharahat, Keren, Pandav vaddo, Sodetim and Kherad vaddo. Most villagersare sad that their long-pending demand for a bridge still remains a mirage. "Everyoneis affected, including our children going to educational institutes, or peoplegoing to office, or our sick patients going to hospitals situated in Panaji,Porvorim or the Goa medical college and hospital, Bambolim. It takes a largeamount of time to cross the river in the ferry. It creates a lot of mentaltrauma for the inhabitants of our village as travelling by ferry entails a lotof time. We hope the planned Chorao bridge comes up in our lifetime," saysDilip Fondekar, a resident of Kherad vaddo and an educationist connected withthe Dayanand High School and Salkar High School.Concurs Pandarik Vernekar, a local from Madel, "In the21st century world, it is really a cruel joke that Chorao does not haveinfrastructure of a bridge which will connect it to the capital city andimportant towns of Porvorim and Bambolim. Due to the non-existence of a newChorao bridge, we have a monotonous existence as all our work goes on at asnail's pace."The proposed Chorao bridge from Salvador do Mundo to theMadel river bank in Chorao is slated to be constructed by Goa industrialdevelopment corporation (GIDC) at an estimated cost of Rs 136 crore to thestate exchequer. The projected bridge will involve acquisition of landmeasuring 30,860sqm and 52,400sqm on both sides of Chorao and Salvador do Mundoin Bardez taluka respectively.Almost all the villagers state that The Right to FairCompensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition Rehabilitation andResettlement (Social Impact Assessment and Consent) Rules, 2014, commonly knownas Land Acquisition Act 2014 has acted as a deterrent in the acquisition ofland. The said law came into effect on January 1, 2014."Being an island village, the demand for the bridge ismore imperative for the natives of Chorao than the people of the mainland likeSalvador do Mundo. There is not an iota of doubt that Land Acquisition Act 2014has completely brought to a grinding halt the acquisition of land which isalmost non-cultivable and barren," adds Mhambre. The Chodan Madel panchayat headed by sarpanch Divya Usapkaris in complete concurrence with the villagers that the impending bridge shouldbe constructed by removing the bottleneck caused by the Land Acquisition Act2014."It is high time the proposed bridge becomes a realityfor our village. For a very long time, all the residents, be it young or old,have faced challenges to either reach to their respective schools or designatedoffice or even marketplace situated in Panaji or surrounding areas likeBambolim, Dona Paula etc. No more time should be wasted in amending the LandAcquisition Act 2014 which has acted as an impediment in the construction ofthe new bridge," says sarpanch Usapkar.Concurs Anant Shet, deputy speaker and Mayem MLA, "Alot of deliberations have taken place both inside and outside the assembly andthereby the unanimity that the Chorao bridge must come into being. We arehopeful that the central government will bring an amendment, either in the nextsession of Parliament or even before that, in the form of an ordinance toneutralize the aberration caused by the Land Acquisition Act 2014. As a MLA, Iwill ensure that the very long-awaited wish for a bridge finallyfructifies." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A little trivia
Chorao is also home to 440 acres of estuarine mangrovehabitation renowned as the 'Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary' and it was also the abodeof late Kashinath Mahale, an outstanding academician connected to differenttemples of learning including Karnataka University in Dharwad, Jawaharlal NehruUniversity (JNU) in New Delhi and the Manipur University in Imphal. A hardcorelover of Konkani, Mahale was dean of the school of foreign languages at JNU.Problem Problem Public Transport Buses, whether those operated by private individuals or runby Kadamba Transport Corporation (KTC) hardly provide fulltime service to thevillagers on the internal roads. "KTC runs for restricted hours andprivate buses run according to the whim and fancies of their operators. It isreally sad that buses hardly run at regular intervals on the interior roads ofChodan Madel,"says Pandarik Vernekar from Madel vaddo.Water supply Unlike Naroa, Mayem etc, Chodan-Madel lies at the end of theAssonora pipeline. "As a result, the village gets tap water only onalternate days and the situation gets further aggravated during summersespecially during May and June. A direct pipeline is the need of thehour," says Dilip Fondekar, a resident of Kherad vaddo.AgricultureIn the past, the village's khazan land was an abode forpaddy cultivation, and at one point in time, these estuaries made this villagean important granary in Goa. "It is said that 20 years ago, 30 trucks ofpaddy was sold in comparison to a paltry three truckloads of paddy that barelymake it to the market in the present times. This island was famed for itsproduction of chillies, onions and mangoes. Apart from giving up cultivationfor non-agriculture occupations by agriculturists, the discharge of salinewater on agriculture land by a few unscrupulous elements involved inpisciculture is more responsible for completely crippling agriculture,"says Premanand Mhambre of Passo-de-Ambarim (Ambadi), who is also president ofChodan Madel Farmers Club.Top View It is high time the proposed bridge becomes a reality forour village-Divya Usapkar, sarpanchWe hope that the Centre brings an amendment either in thenext session of Parliament or even before that in the form of an ordinance toneutralize the aberration caused by the Land Acquisition Act 2014-Anant Shet,MLA and deputy speakerPeople's take In the 21st century world, it is really a cruel joke thatChorao does not have infrastructure of a bridge which will connect it to thecapital city and important towns of Porvorim and Bambolim-Pandarik Vernekar,local residentFor everyone, be it office goers or students, it becomes anuphill task to reach their respective places, be it in the morning or evening -PremanandMhambre, local residentIt creates a lot of mental trauma for the inhabitants of ourvillage as travelling by ferry entails a lot of time -Dilip Fondekar, localresident
