He came, he saw and he went, but one could hear the same old question, repeatedly asked by Benaulikars over the last one decade – whether the western bypass stretch passing through the flood-prone Benaulim village will be built on stilts?
For, the Special officer drafted by Union Minister for Surface Transport Nitin Gadkari, R K Pandey descended on the banks of flood plains of river Sal to get a first-hand knowledge of the flooding pattern at Tolleaband-Benaulim water body and submit a report to the Minister, to decide the fate of the long-pending demand of the villagers of Benaulim and adjoining villages to build the bypass on stilts.
Before leaving Benaulim, Pandey, however, raised a pertinent question – whether the flooding pattern at Benaulim and adjoining areas will be resolved if the bypass is built on stilts when the adjoining river Sal is flowing in full spate, inundating the low-lying areas instead of the flood water draining quickly into the Arabian Sea.
He told The Goan that what is required at the Benaulim-Khareband area intersection is a comprehensive solution, with focus on quick drainage of the monsoon water by the river Sal into the sea.
He saw for himself the stretch of the river at the Khareband bridge, expressing shock and surprise that the river was overflowing at the site, even pointing out that Goa should protect its rivers. Pandey along with another officer later went round the site for an inspection, insisting what is required at the site is a comprehensive solution to the flooding problem.
“Will the flood waters stop flowing into the Tolleaband water body if the bypass is built on stilts? We need a comprehensive solution. The flood water is flowing into Tolleaband since the river is flowing in full spate and the water is not draining quickly via the river,” Pandey told The Goan.
Accompanied by Goa Forward chief Vijai Sardesai, the Union Minister’s officer inspected the areas of Mungul and Fatorda how the backwaters have inundated large tracts of low-lying fields, destroying paddy fields.
The duo along with Goa Forward vice-president Durgadas Kamat later descended on the banks of Tolleaband water body, the focus of attention, since the water body was full to the brim last year as well as this year during the monsoons, with agencies such as the Water Resources Department publicly rooting for the construction of the bypass on stilts at the Tolleaband water body.
Vijai makes strong case for stilts on around 650 mts in Benaulim
MARGAO: Goa Forward chief Vijai Sardesai made a strong case with R K Pandey, the officer deputed by Union Surface Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari to at least build the western bypass stretch of around 650 metres passing through the Tolleaband water body if not the entire Benaulim stretch, on stilts.
Sardesai later told the media that he has shown Pandey how the low-lying areas of Fatorda, Mungul and Benaulim have been left inundated because of the back flow of water. “I have told the officer to at least consider the 650 metre stretch of the bypass passing through Tolleaband on stretch, if not the full stretch from Mungul railway over bridge to the Varca-Benaulim road,” he said.
Sardesai said he has drawn Pandey’s attention to the Water Resources Department’s inspection report of last year’s flooding, with the agency calling for construction of the bypass on stilts. “I have also drawn the attention of the special officer to the report compiled in 2000 by former Margao deputy Collector and now Secretary Sanjit Rodrigues that the government should do a rethink on constructing the bypass through the flood plains and wetlands of Benaulim and Margao,” he said.
He added: “Pandey raised the question of quick drainage of water into the sea even in the event the bypass is built on stilts. The question of increasing the mouth of the culverts connecting to river Sal at Khareband and at Mercado was raised. But we will have to find out how to make it feasible.”
While thanking Union Minister Nitin Gadkari for deputing his special officer to Benaulim following his meeting on the issue, Sardesai said he would continue to pursue the matter with the Union Minister so that the 650-metre stretch of the bypass passing through Tolleaband water body is built on stilts.
