NHAI and the Goa government
are yet to reach a consensus
on the highway
widening plans for NH-17 and
NH-4A.
NH-17, which is 1,269 km in
length, connects Panvel in
Maharashtra to Edapally in Kerala.
In Goa, NH-17 covers 139
km, passing through Pernem,
Bardez, Tiswadi, Salcete and
Canacona talukas.
The 153-km NH-4A, on the
other hand, connects Belgaum in
Karnataka to Panaji in Goa. Of the
total length of the highway, 71 km
is in the state.
NHAI had proposed widening
NH-17 and NH-4A in the state to
60 metres. For densely-populated
areas, it had agreed to a width of
45 metres. The state government,
however, is reluctant to give its
nod to the proposal and is pushing
for restricting the width of the
highways to 45 metres throughout.
For congested areas though, it
wants the width to be no more
than 35 metres.
According to the Goa government,
increasing the width of
the highways to 60 metres
would result in large-scale
demolition of residential and
commercial structures.
NHAI has so far refused to give
in to the demand for reduction in
width of the highways.
Many social activists and politicians
in the state are now calling
for complete scrapping of the four
and six-laning plans drawn for the
two highways in the state.
"It would be unrealistic to
increase the width to 60 metres
as it would mean demolishing a
large number of structures along
the highways," Dean D'Cruz, a
well-known architect and a
member of the state level committee
on Regional Plan 2021,
told Projectmonitor.
"It may be more feasible if the
width of the highways is restricted
to 40-45 metres. That way it would
be possible to save many of the
structures from demolition," he
said, adding that highways in the
state needed to be turned and
developed inland in order to ease
pressure on the coastal belt and
also for improving connectivity,
providing better access to ports
and development of interior areas.
Meanwhile, the Goa PWD and
NHAI have begun conducting a
resurvey of NH-17 and NH-4A in
the state. The exercise, initiated
at the behest of the state government,
is primarily aimed at softening
the impact of the demolitions
that will have to be carried
out for the highway widening
projects. The state government is
expected to make its stand clear
on increasing the width of the two
highways after submission of the
resurvey reports.