With flooding of the River Sal in some parts of Margao and Benaulim, the Government has decided to take care of the problem by dredging a small section of the river. The project priced over 30 Lakhs started in November 2002 and is on till this date. No doubt, they have deepened the river but what happened last Saturday (31st May 2003) has left me shocked and saddened.
Benaulim is directly connected to Margao by an old bridge that presently has a temporary bridge built over it. The bridge serves as the only link to Margao. This metal bridge more commonly known as the 'Kharebandh Bridge' isn�t alone though. Alongside it, a few meters away to the left, lay a beautiful old stone bridge. The bridge, built by the Portuguese probably served as a footbridge for a long time till one of its smaller side arches collapsed. All my life, I have known this small beautiful broken bridge which seemed to stand the test of time no matter what. We've had floods that submerged the bridge completely but it still stood. Perhaps it wasn�t used, but it still stood! It had two arches of granite/laterite rock through which water still flowed. Children would play on it, jumping from the old bridge into the river. A dog or two sometimes sat right at the centre, and the scene seemed so idyllic. The bridge was even featured as the highlight of a painting at a Margao based art Gallery, painted by Mr. Seby Akara, an artist based in Benaulim. Then it was Saturday, 31st May, when the metal cranes had just finished digging at the bottom of the river by the side of this bridge. What horrified everyone next was when the crane unhesitantly proceeded though the water and began to pound at the stone bridge. People began to gather. There were so many...but they only spoke among themselves or silently, sadly watched. The bridge was no match. The stones at the top gave away. After standing for so many year, the top was demolished and the two pillars were standing in its own rubble. I was a t work when I heard of it, and was shocked! I called the papers. The Journalists were not so interested. One of them said he knew about it. It was decided by the Margao Municipality to remove the 'structure'. Was it in the papers? No. was anybody consulted? No. Why was it done? It was obstructing the flow of the river. Were any of them interested in reporting the incident? No. Those were the answers I received. By nightfall, I saw the remains of my beloved bridge. There were the two pillars...and rubble. By Sunday there was only rubble and by Monday that was gone too... Where's the sense? Who cares? Why do things like this go unnoticed? It seems in South Goa, where the environmentalists, heritage activists, and concerned people aren't as many in the north, all things go unnoticed. Last year, when citizens of Panjim successfully stopped the axing of trees in Miramar with a huge hulabloo, we from South Goa participated.. but literally a few days later, a few dozen huge old trees were axed along the Margao-Fatorda road and nobody made a noise. Not even the papers. The bridge may be gone, but the beautiful old broken bridge on the river Sal still stands in my memories... Clinton.. --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.476 / Virus Database: 273 - Release Date: 4/24/2003 ########################################################################## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##########################################################################
