No plans to widen Parra roads, Lobo tells locals

Calangute/Saligao: There are no plans to widen any of the internal roads in Parra, minister for ports and Calangute MLA Michael Lobo assured the villagers on Saturday. There had been widespread apprehensions amongst the

Parra

residents that there may be damage to houses and loss of personal properties due to road widening plans.

“Some people have spread rumours that we are going to demolish people’s compound walls to widen the narrow roads. This is not true. No internal road will be widened in Parra. We will not demolish any compound walls,” he said, while launching work on a roadside gutter at Bokeachi Arradi in Parra, on Saturday.

“People think just because we have widened the roads in Calangute we will also widen the roads here, but that is the main road with a lot of traffic and we did it with the co-operation of the people. We will never do anything that the people do not want,” Lobo said.

The minister said that even in the touristy villages and small towns of Europe, the internal roads are very narrow and have been retained as is. “There are broader areas at intervals on those roads where cars can pass. Here also there are some open areas next to the road where cars can pass. Only the highways are wide in Europe,” said Lobo.

Rather than demolishing, Lobo urged house owners to repair the walls if they are in a dilapidated condition and paint them, if required with the panchayat’s help, so as to maintain the scenic look of Goan villages.