PANAJI: The Chief Minister, Mr Digambar Kamat has said that the broadening of the roads was required for posterity and that the state government would ensure that maximum number of houses would be saved while the broadening of the National Highway 4A was undertaken.

Intervening during the calling attention motion moved by the Priol MLA, Mr Pandurang Dhavlikar, about fear and anxiety in the minds of people of Cundaim-Bhoma on the proposed widening of NH4A by demolishing houses, religious places, etc, the Chief Minister informed the House that if necessary government would propose that the National Highway Authority of India construct flyovers or bypasses.
He said that since there was a consensus among the members of the House on the issue of reduction of width of the road from 60 metres to 45 metres, this issue would be placed before a high level team of NHAI, headed by its chairman – Mr Brijender Singh – that was expected to visit the state at the end of the month or early next month to carry out onsite inspection.
Mr Kamat further said that the Union Surface Transport Minister, Mr Kamal Nath, has agreed to the reduction of the width and has made a categorical statement to that regard.
He said that development of national highways was delicate but important subject that was linked to the development of Goa and its people.
Referring to the issue of exemption from payment of toll raised by the members of the House, he said that the issue would be taken up before the NHAI and central authorities to find an amicable solution.
Earlier, the Public Works Department Minister, Mr Churchill Alemao said that he and the Chief Minister would take up the issue before the central authorities and find a solution to the vexed problem.
He also agreed to the suggestion that locals should be exempted from payment of toll for usage of road. He also called for a consensus among the members of the House which would help convince the central authorities.
The leader of the opposition, Mr Manohar Parrikar said that a different application of mind was necessary to find a solution to the problem of how to prevent large-scale demolition of houses. Mr Parrikar also said that the authority should go for bypasses, under passes or overpasses at every one or two kilometres to enable the locals to move from one end of the road to the other. He said that the wide roads with dividers in the middle would divide the villages.
When the Transport Minister, Mr Ramkrishna Dhavlikar, and the Home Minister, Mr Ravi Naik, tried to make a statement on the issue, the Deputy Speaker, Mr Mauvin Godinho, who was in the chair told them rather than trying to sort out things in the assembly they should sit together during cabinet meeting and thrash out the issue. At this moment, the leader of the opposition said that this was not possible during cabinet meetings as the ministers try to settle some other scores.
Mr Dayanand Narvekar said that the narrow roads in the state were a cause of a number of deaths due to accidents and called for widening the roads, even as he went on to add that because of narrow roads traffic jams could be seen everywhere.
He also said that the government should pay proper compensation for the acquired land and said that all those whose houses or land were acquired should be properly compensated.
Others who spoke during the discussion on the calling attention motion were Mr Pandurang Madkaikar, the Cumbharjua MLA. Besides, the Home Minister, the Transport Minister and the Power Minister, Mr Aleixo Sequeira also made brief mention.