PWD continues to hunt for Forest Clearance; Forest says it applied only on 22nd June ’23, and PWD claims it was applied in February. Works still have not begun
Goemkarponn desk
CANACONA: The fiasco surrounding the NH66 section from Gulem – Karmalghat road widening and removal of bottlenecks are the sharp –curve at Karmalghat, for which works were inaugurated by Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar now almost a fortnight ago, is still not yet commenced, as some vigilante approached the Road (NH) and forest authorities for clarifications on the issue.
In an uncanny situation and inspite of the Forest Minister’s tweet not to stop the works at Karmalghat, PWD engineers who earlier announced the commencement of works are instead on a hunting spree to obtain Forest Clearance (NOC) to take up the works.
Though Forest Minister Vishwajeet Rane has recently directed his ministry to avoid creating any hurdles for the works at Karmalghat sharp-turn, PWD (NH) engineers were found visiting the Forest district office at Margao to obtain the required NOC on Monday
Even with obtaining forest clearance, PWD has prepared an estimate, and in haste also, the financial sanctions and even tender were allotted, and Canacona MLA/Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar inaugurated the works.
Today (Monday), seeing no works are being undertaken at the accident-prone Sharp-Curve as informed by Canacona office of Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar and the tweet by Forest Minister Vishwajeet Rane, GFP Leader Vikas Bhagat and congress leader Janardhan Bhandari along with supporters took a morcha on PWD office, only to learn that PWD has not yet received Forest Clearance and the PWD (NH) Assistant Engineer is sitting in Forest Office at Margao today(Monday) to pursue the same. Also accompanying were Congress Youth (South) Vice President Vaishnav Pednekar, Congress (South) Secretary Gaspar Coutinho, and Secretary Cleston Viegas. Interestingly, through Forest department sources, it is learnt that PWD has made an application seeking NOC only on 22.06.2023.
When the people informed PWD officials that Forest Minister had already tweeted that the works should not be stopped and can be continued, the officials quipped that such tweets do not fit in the rule of the land, and PWD does not get forest clearance or at least a Forest NOC, the works cannot be started.
Agitating people then questioned the PWD staff, whether their AE, Minister, or MLA was previously not knowing these basic requirements before launching the works, now a fortnight ago, with tall claims of approving 3.82 Cr and tendering these works, and now running after to obtain the NOC.
The agitators then grilled the PWD (NH) AE Sagar Shet (who informed them he was sitting in the forest Office to pursue the NOC) over the mobile phone for making the public believe their lies by informing them that the works had already commenced when in reality nothing is being done. PWD and forest were also blamed for cutting more than 26 trees in the last week of January and not doing anything since then. ‘You are the murderers and criminals; because of you, the youth from Mumbai has died; if those trees were there, that Car would not have lunged into the gorge, causing the death of that youth. This government is solely responsible for all the mishaps taking place on this highway section’, Bhandari shouted.
‘Why it took more than five months to apply for NOC? Why is it being applied now, and it says not yet got the NOC? Why did the forest minister have to tweet without NOC? Why inauguration was done, who cut the trees, why was the investigation not done, NOC how trees were cut, and till how many more die in accidents, you will not get the NOC’, Vikas Bhagat.
Later, addressing the media, agitators asked the government if road works could not be commenced without forest NOC and how more than 26 trees were cut by the government without forest NOC. And by cutting the trees, the government has even done away with the minimal safety motorists could have. Now, if the vehicles go off the road and directly plunge 15 metres below the gorge, trees could have stopped vehicles from going down. Please don’t speak lies, but get the works done as soon as this ghat has become a death kneel, and it could be any one of us falling victim to the mishaps on this road section.’
The agitators then visited Canacona Forest Office, only to learn the area falls under Padi Range. The concerned RFO was contacted over the phone and informed that PWD had only on 22nd June ’23 had applied for NOC in, and the matter is being pursued. The agitators said they will visit the Padi forest office on Tuesday to verify the facts, as PWD informed them that it was applied way back in February.
