Goemkarpon Desk
PANAJI: Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira said that he will see that minimum damage is caused to the environment during planning of new Borim bridge.
“We have given engineers time to study because, as of right now, they are unsure of the number of houses that will be demolished. There are now options available to them. In total, seven recommendations are made. Nothing will be destroyed, not even a single house, if you follow recommendation number seven. Nonetheless, the alignment passes through Khazan territory. We have thus requested that the engineers conduct research.
Sequeira claims that the PWD engineers stated they would review the recommendations, conduct a ground study, and reconvene on December 1.
“We have provided the engineers with our recommendations. The Minister stated, “They will review them over the course of the next 15 days, and we’ll see how well they’ve implemented our requests, which include preserving fields and minimizing home demolition.
“We are in a situation where we want to save the Khazan lands and houses,” Sequeira declared. We also pay attention to what the public wants. We will undoubtedly want to see the least amount of environmental harm possible. For this reason, we have offered the consultant and the PWD Principal Chief Engineer our recommendations.
The Minister stated that the engineers were receptive to their recommendations and that they would like to conduct a physical examination of the area to determine the most effective way to implement their requests.
Sequeira, meanwhile, declared that he will assume leadership as a Minister on Monday. Sequeira remarked, “I have lost touch. I was environment minister for 10–12 years ago,” in reference to the portfolios that had been assigned to him. Laws and regulations have now evolved. I’m going to call a department review meeting. I have never served as a minister for the Legislative Affairs, Law and Judiciary, or the Captain of Ports.
The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has approved and sanctioned Rs 305 crore for the third Borim bridge approach road at Ponda, Goa.
In March 2023, the Public Works Department (PWD), Goa will begin the land acquisition process for the 7 km approach road of the proposed parallel bridge at Borim in Ponda, Goa.
