'Decision on highways after consultating MLAs'

Margao: PWD minister Sudin Dhavalikar on Friday said that while 248 km of national highways in Goa would be taken up for development under the national highways development programme, the alignment will be finalized only after consulting with all ministers and MLAs across constituencies.
Dhavalikar told mediapersons that the entire process will be carried out in a transparent manner.
"The roads will be minimum four lanes...the consultants have been asked to submit the detailed project reports (DPR) by the end of the month. They will, however be given time up to February 16. After getting the DPRs, all the ministers as well as MLAs will be called for discussions over the proposed alignment to suggest changes, if required, in their respective constituencies. Accordingly, wherever required alignment will be changed," Dhavalikar said.
The DPR will then be submitted to the union ministry, which will sanction the project for 2016-17, it was informed. The plan is to have parallel bridges wherever old bridges exist.
While Dhavalikar was non-committal on the estimated cost of the project, he replied to a query that the cost of four-laning of a national highway works out to 6 crore for every kilometre.
Earlier, Dhavalikar, along with fisheries minister and Navelim MLA Avertano Furtado, inspected the alignment of the western bypass at Telaulim and assured to modify the alignment in order to save two houses that are in the way of the road.
Both ministers also inspected the progress of work of the sewerage treatment plants at Sirvodem, Navelim. Dhavalikar said that both the plants-one of 20 million litres per day (mld) capacity and the other of 7.5 mld-will be operational by June 2016.
Replying to another query, Dhavalikar said that the government has decided to grant permissions to all telecom companies to erect 4G towers along national and state highways.