Bhoma locals furious as PWD demarcates area for NH expansion

PANAJI: Villagers of Bhoma and Khorlim, who are opposing the proposed highway expansion plan, have claimed that authorities have not followed the acquisition process.The villagers said the road expansion would lead to demolition of several houses and religious structures that have existed since the pre-Portuguese era.“There are two alternative routes that could have been considered. However, the government wants to demolish our homes built by our forefathers,” Sanjay Naik, a villager of Bhoma, told reporters on Tuesday along with other citizens who are against the widening works.“There are several upcoming residential projects for which the road expansion has been proposed. This is not for the benefit of the locals,” said Naik.The authorities, he said, are not willing to consider the alternatives available and “that explains their hurry”.Locals said that on Monday, some officials from the public works department arrived in their village to demarcate areas for the proposed expansion even though the land acquisition process has not been completed.“They chose to come in the afternoon when the menfolk were not home,” he said.The villagers who are likely to be affected, he said, had contacted the acquisition office and sought to view the expansion plan.“But we were told that the plan could not be provided as their photocopying machine was not functioning and that it would be repaired after two months,” said Naik.