Goemkarponn desk
CANACONA: Central government through the Ministry of Environment of Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) accord its most awaited Stage 02 Clearance for Karmalghat Road Works on National Highways -66.
In a communiqué addressed to the Principal Secretary (Forests), Govt of Goa, MoEFCC Regional office, Bangalore conveyed the ‘Final Approval’ under section 2 of the Forest (Conservation) Act 1980 for diversion of 0.03 ha of forest land in survey no.103(P) Canacona village of goa for urgent restoration of existing road formation of NH-66 between Km 572/500 to Km 595/200 which passes through Karmalghat area in favour of PWD, Goa.
The central government on 28/06/2023 has granted ‘in-principle’ (Stage-I) to the proposal submitted by Goa government, after which Goa government has submitted compliance report on 15/09/2023 to the conditions stipulated in the ‘in-principle’approval.
Interestingly, the Stage 2 clearance assumes significance, as following several neck-to-neck accidents on the Gulem-Karmalghat section of NH-66 particularly on the narrow and accident prone Karmalghat (nicknamed and refered by many as ‘Mornaghat’-Deathkneel), has criticised the delay to ececute the works inspite of assuarance and counter assuarance by government and particularly by Canacona MLA and Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar on the front.
A statement from the local office of Speaker welcomed the accord of Final Aproval-Stage 02 Clearance for Karmalghat Road by MoEFCC stating it is the outcome of Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar’s hard efforts to get all these clearances on ‘Priority’. ‘Besides, this is the most important work in Development of Canacona and prime step as envisaged in the ‘Vision Mission-2030 Canacona’.
