Margao-Chandor-Curchorem stretch now major district road

Margao: The state government has amended a 46-year-old government notification to change the classification of the Margao-Sao Jose de Areal-Chandor-Curchorem road from State Highway 8 to Major District Road 54.
The amendment has been notified through a notification issued by executive engineer, Div VI (roads- south), PWD, Prasad Panandikar, dated February 3. The state government has amended the government notification dated February 8, 1977, to give effect to the altered classification of the Margao-Sao Jose de Areal-Chandor-Curchorem.
With this, the long-pending demand of the Chandor villagers has been settled. The villagers of Chandor had pointed out that the regional plans (RP) 2001, 2011 and 2021 show that the SH8 passes through Rawanfond, Sao Jose de Areal, Paroda, Quepem and Curchorem and therefore the Margao-Sao Jose de Areal-Chandor-Curchorem road couldn’t be notified as SH 8.
It was a letter by then chief town planner, S T Putturaju, addressed to a PWD executive engineer in June 2017, based on the 1977 government notification stressing that the road was indeed a state highway, that spawned the agitation in the village.
“It is hereby clarified that the road from Margao-Sao Jose de Areal-Chandor-Curchorem is shown as SH 8 in RP 2021 based on the road shown as SH 8 in the RP 2001, which is as per the notification (published in the official gazette) dated February 17, 1977,” the letter read. The villagers demanded that the letter be withdrawn, claiming that the contents were misleading and smacked of “malafide intention”.
Local MLA Yuri Alemao thanked PWD minister Nilesh Cabral “for acknowledging my Zero Hour mention in the Goa Legislative Assembly on January 18 and issuing the notification”.
“This notification will bring major relief to the residents of the heritage village Chandor who faced hardships due to movement of vehicles and also faced challenges of damage to heritage houses in the village,” said Alemao.
The Cuncolim MLA further demanded that the movement of heavy vehicles, especially trucks, be stopped. “I have spoken to the police officials and will ensure that the movement of heavy traffic is restricted. PWD should also erect necessary signboards on the road,” said Alemao.