POLITICS OF NH17 AT PORVORIM

[Published in 'Opinionated' - Herald, 28/06/2010]

The imbroglio over the National Highway 17 alignment and widening never
seems to get resolved. It now seems to be the turn of the Porvorim residents
to display scare crows to drive away the National Highway Authority of India
from persisting with the present alignment. The line up of prominent
citizens flying the flag of revolt against the present alignment of NH17 at
Porvorim is very interesting. We do agree that the passing of a National
Highway through the belly of Goa's tiny and populated villages and townships
is complete insanity and absurd planning. This heartless and never ending
development does evoke strong emotions in us goan residents to see our
villages torn apart in the name of national interest. But, the proposal for
this controversial NH17 alignment has been in the pipe-line for over 3
decades, though a 55 metre wide stretch of road was never envisaged then.
Even when the draft Regional Plan 2021 was sent to the Village Panchayats
for suggestions and scrutiny, these affected residents seemed least
interested to attend the Gram Sabha meetings and register their objections
on the present NH17 alignment. Probably, they were under the illusion that
certain influential persons lined up along the NH17 will successfully stall
the process of widening of NH17 at Porvorim by pulling the strings directly
in New Delhi, as they have been doing all these years. The bottle neck at
Porvorim Bazar which has resulted in loss of precious lives and limbs over
the years is a manifestation of the clout wielded by certain vested
interests. Now that they have been trapped in their own game, it appears
that efforts are on to camouflage private interests as public interest.

At the same time, it is also not the case that there do not exist some
genuine cases affected by this proposed alignment, the politics behind the
NH17 alignment at Porvorim is not as simple and innocent as it is made out
to be. Real estate players, politicians and businessmen are faking their
personal interests as public interest. Huge buildings have been erected
within the 45 metre line despite there being a ban on construction in force
for several years. Based on a mere undertaking in an affidavit wherein a
builder has agreed to demolish the building if at any time the space is
required for road widening, the Town and Country Planning Department has
granted the N.O.C. for constructing a showroom at Porvorim. Another such
project involving an influential politician from South Goa is under
construction after forcefully suppressing objections from the Village
Panchayat Secretary on the 45 metre ban and resorting to various pressure
tactics to obtain the clearances. In the last several years, several
residential houses along NH17 have been converted for commercial purposes
without following the law. Would these political, medical and builder
celebrities have cared for the interests of the suffering public had the
NH17 alignment not affected their private interests? It is this conniving
and conspiring between those with vested interests and the Town and Country
Planning Department that has complicated the issues around the present
alignment. After reaping huge profits by ignoring the development laws along
the NH17, these very forces are propagating the re-alignment of the NH17
through virgin areas thereby fuelling speculation on land prices in those
areas. It is perfectly alright for them if other poor people lose their
houses and land in case of a re-alignment. The politicians and contractors
would also be ever too happy to construct a third bridge across Mandovi
river.

The hypocrisy of these selfish forces does not end here. It is not the case
there did not exist any plans for a proposed 45 metre NH17 by-pass on the
western side of the present NH17. But this proposed alignment was
systematically made to disappear even after protests from some citizens as
early as 1995. Thereafter, the BJP government which was in the know of the
problem in fact gave further legitimacy to these irregularities to benefit
certain builders. Now, the truth seems to have caught up with the
perpetrators of this fraud and those citizens who had protested and even
gone to court over this issue are still alive to narrate the conspiracy
story. In and around the same time, a 10 metre wide proposed road on the
eastern side of NH17 was also made to disappear after it was denotified by
the TCP to favour real estate developers. Again these influential persons
prefered to feign ignorance. And all through this drama the presently
affected politicos, medicos and residents just watched the fun. Probably, if
today the private interests of these very residents were not affected, they
would have turned round and labelled the protests of others as anti-national
and anti-development. But goans have short memories and their emotions get
easily exploited as and when required by crooked politicians and the land
mafia.

Therefore, before any decision for realignment of the NH17 at Porvorim is
made, the government must order a CBI inquiry to ascertain how public
interest was sacrificed for private profits and book all the government
officers involved in doing away with alternative options on the NH
alignment. Only then will the real truth be exposed. The proposed 45 metre
by-pass alignment which originates from Porvorim Bazar and meets the CHOG(M)
road must be revived. So also, all projects constructed within the existing
45 meter road widening line of NH17 while the ban was in force must be
demolished. This would be a just solution to the hypocrisy of some
opportunistic forces that now put on the mask of innocent affected residents
to oppose the proposed widening of NH17 at Porvorim.

-Soter D'Souza