Panaji: After Union highways minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday in Goa said that a flyover will be constructed at Bhoma to address opposition to highway expansion on the stretch, Bhoma villagers expressed dissatisfaction with the solution. The villagers have been demanding a bypass to avoid expansion of the highway passing through the village.Villagers said that officials need to explain first why the bypass option is not on the table.“PWD minister Digambar Kamat, who was on the stage with Gadkari, is aware of a bypass option having been considered earlier on the same stretch. He needs to explain why a bypass is being rejected as an option,” said Sanjay Naik who has been leading the protests in Bhoma.He said that it is not just a question of protecting the temple from demolition by constructing a flyover, but the entire character of the village is set to be altered by the four-laning.“PWD officials refused to make a presentation over the work for us even after our persistent cries. We had to knock on the doors of the court. Our temples see a huge number of devotees attending the annual festivities which will all be affected by the fragmentation of the village which will happen due to the four-laning,” said Naik.The villagers have also objected to Gadkari’s announcement that the Bhoma temple lake will be beautified.“That lake belongs to us the devotees only,” said Naik.The Union ministry for road transport and highways has sanctioned Rs 1,060.2 crore for four-laning of a 7-km stretch from Bhoma to Old Goa on NH-748.The ministry has also approved Rs 557 crore for four-laning of 9.6km road along the same stretch, from Ponda to Bhoma on NH-748.This highway, formerly NH-4A, spans 153km from NH-48 near Belagavi in Karnataka to NH-66 near Panaji, Goa, serving as a vital link for passenger and freight traffic from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka to Goa.The NH-748, connecting Panaji to Belagavi, four-laning work is pending at Bhoma due to the opposition from locals. Gadkari announced the flyover after a representation of locals had met him over the issue.
