The consultant for the sea link project
announced with much finality that the cheapest route for the sealink
was from Sirdao to Chicalim. The choice was made after a so called
study of the options available to the team.
The options were presented a few months
back at a meeting in the secretariat. The presentation started with
the objectives to be met while building the sealink and carried on to
show clippings of the different routes possible. They took pains to
count the number of dwellings or trees that would have to be
relocated or cut to make way for the sealink. There was even a
clipping of a little boat bobbing in the Zuari from where officials
were taking soil samples. I assumed this was required to ensure
suitability of soil to accommodate columns of the bridge can be
driven into the sea or river bed.
The CM had still not reached the venue
even after the completion of the presentation. It is safe to assume
that either he already knew what was going to be said or they would
inform him later. Either way I believe it made no difference because
no bridge will ever come anyway.
The choice made on the basis of cost
and and the objectives stated in the opening slide did not match.
Some of the objectives of the sealink stated were 1) connect Panaji
to the Port, quickly 2) To make the Port a logistics hub 3) To
provide a tourist attraction etc.
Therefore coming up with options say
Sirdao to Cortalim or Sirdao to Chicalim are a waste of time as the
objective would not be met even if meant saving a few rupees. A few
months later and I assume a few crores later they decide that Sirdao
to Chicalim is most cost effective. For whom or why?
First of all, lets look at the
objectives. Panaji Vasco via Dona Paula. You would take that route
only if you wished to get to Vasco. For any other place of the South
side it would be more convenient to use the Zuari Bridge assuming it
lasts. The chance of Vasco becoming a logistics hub with the sea
link, is as far fetched as believing a snowball has a chance in hell.
All port traffic is trying to hit the golden quadrilateral, meaning
heading to Belgaum via Borim. There is no way the transporters will
decide to use a redundant sealink just because it is a novelty. And
Goa does not need bridges to attract tourist a la Mumbai. The
widening of the road at Mollem will do more to make the Port a
logistics hub than this white elephant of a sea-link.
The worst comment on the sealink was
made at a seminar after the announcement of the Rs 100 cr budget for
the sealink. Mr. Anupam Kishore the former Director of the PPP cell
said that if people eat pizza in Candolim for Rs 100/- they will
surely pay the toll. Wow talk about spurious correlation. It is a
good thing Mr Kishore got a study scholarship and is now studying
abroad. Hopefully he will come back wiser.
Why not use the money to build a
parallel bridge across the Zuari because today when southerners go to
the North or vice versa, one never knows if there will be a bridge to
return. Or why not a bridge linking Verna to Ponda, that will give
axcess to lots of people looking for jobs from the Ponda area and
also make life safer for those living along the Cortalim Rassaim
death trap. The heavy vehicles plying that route to get to Belgaum
kill and damage property regularly. Wonder what is the cost assigned
to such incidents?
Wwhat is the real reason for this
harebrained sealink project? The real reason is that once the
consultants are paid the Rs 100 crores the Government will announce
that they are scrapping the project as people are not in favour. A
good vanishing trick and we the people will pay the price.
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