BY MINOO FERNANDES | NT
MARGAO: The road under the bridge, with a subway built by the Konkan Railway Corporation, at a cost of Rs 3 crore, is ready near the level crossing at the Majorda railway station, however, it is yet to be thrown open to the public as it does not have an approach road.
Initially, when the Konkan Railway made its appearance and presence felt in the state, things moved in the right direction for the Konkan Railways, as was evident from the foundation stone that was laid for the road over bridge.
However, local politics soon began to interfere on the scene and the work on the road over bridge was abandoned and the foundation stone along with all the money spent on it was wasted as the entire area was buried under loads of soil, where the present level crossing stands today. The level crossing itself is another headache as motorists using this road have to waste a lot of time to cross over to the other side, due to the arrival of trains every few minutes.
Villagers informed that a few influential individuals from the village, in connivance with some vested interests, hoodwinked the state government into succumbing to their gimmicks, by citing various reasons, such as the close proximity of the church, where the road over bridge was supposed to come up.
At one stage some locals even demanded a road under bridge instead of the road over bridge, which was earlier planned by the Konkan Railway Corporation, the work of which was almost begun, before it was scuttled by the local politicians. Such a road over bridge is presently seen at Mungul, and the same type of bridge was planned for Majorda when the Konkan Railway first came in the state.
Many locals now say that had the road over bridge been completed, then today the locals as well as others, would not have to use the road at the level crossing, which causes a lot of inconvenience and wastage of time.
Things, however, went on for many years with the locals as well as people from far and wide using the level crossing to cross to the other side.
However, as the railway traffic increased, with the Konkan Railway and the South Central Railway, using the same route, though each of these railways have its own tracks on this route, pressure increased tremendously over the years with trains passing by every ten to fifteen minutes. This resulted in those waiting to cross the road having to wait for long hours at the level crossing. This has now led to the demand of a road under bridge once again, if not a road over bridge.
The demand for a road under bridge began to increase day-by-day and the local panchayat and the local MLA, Mr Francisco Pacheco, came under tremendous pressure to put a representation before the Chief Minister as well as the Central Government, which he did and obtained the sanction for the road under bridge, which is presently complete. The approach roads are to be built by the local government, with the help of the PWD.
Once again, the locals accuse the politicians of delaying the construction of the approach roads. They say that the delay is because the faction supporting the Churchill Alemao group and the Mickky Pacheco group cannot agree on the approach roads.
Mr Baban Ghatge, the senior public relations officer of the Konkan Railway Corporation said, "Our part is completed and our task in this regard is done."
Speaking to ‘The Navhind Times’ he further stated that the Konkan Railway was to complete the road under bridge and the subway, which he said is complete in all respects. The rest of the matter, like completing the approach roads, etc, is to be looked after by the PWD of the local state government, he said.
The PWD Minister, Mr Churchill Alemao could not be contacted as he is presently attending the proceedings of the Goa Legislative Assembly, at the Secretariat, which is in session.
However, sources close to Mr Alemao disclosed that the concerned people have not yet provided a full and complete picture of the matter to the PWD, adding that it is only then that tenders could be floated for the approach roads.
s Visitation D’Silva, the sarpanch of Majorda village panchayat, when contacted said just before the monsoons, the local MLA had paid a visit to Majorda and had conducted an inspection in the presence of high ranking Konkan Railway engineers, the local panchas and the zilla member, Ms Nelly Rodrigues. An interaction with the engineers was held before the local people, and the local MLA, Mr Pacheco had called on the PWD department to complete the approach roads to the subway at the earliest. However she said till date the PWD has not done anything, adding that it is the duty of the PWD to complete the approach roads, so that the subway can be used by the public.
Locals also recalled that when things were rosy between the Chief Minister and the local MLA, work was going on smoothly, and added that the Chief Minister had come in the village along with the local MLA, Mr Pacheco, about 18 months ago and had praised Mr Pacheco for the good work done in his constituency. They said that now the scenario has changed and it appears that the villagers of Majorda will have to wait for quite some time before the subway is finally thrown open to the public.
