# Goanetters-2004 meet in Goa. Dec 21, Tuesday. 12 noon to 2 pm. # # Clube Vasco, Near Municipal Garden, Panjim. Pass the word around! # ##########################################################################
Hello Goanetters
Where is this place Pollem? I happened to check the lonely planet on Goa for some information about this place, but there wasn�t any information, so if this place is not mentioned on one of the best travel guides of the world, than why this Highway for this place, what will it benefit the rest of the Goans, is the present Government planning to start Industries there where by Goans can get employment? Will it be another investment by our Government for future? The uncertain future? Is it modernizing Pollem after Panjim? Without doing anything good for the rest of Goans?
Cheers
Jerry Fernandes
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 2004 08:59:56 퍍 (GMT) From: joseph fernandes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Goanet]Highway from Pernem to Pollem Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
The following editorial appeared in todays,Oherald: (www.oherald.com)
Do we need this
Can we afford such a project � the decision by the State government to go ahead with the four lane Pernem to Polem highway may sound grandiose. But can the State government afford such a project and is it feasible. Does Goa need such mega projects and will they benefit the State in the long run. Does Goa need a 105 km super expressway death trap, where vehicles can speed in excess of 100 km? Yes do we need this project? No doubt progress is inevitable in the State but at what cost? With 12,000 cars traveling on the old Mumbai-Pune highway, an average of 400 people per year were killed due to accidents which saw the construction of the Mumbai-Pune expressway. The reason the old Mumbai-Pune highway passed through thickly populated towns such as Lonavala and Khandala, with narrow roads which often resulted in fatalities. Built at a cost of Rs 1630 core, the 94 km long Mumbai-Pune expressway has reduced travel from five hours to three and a half hours as vehicles zoomed along at speeds of 80 to 120 kmph. But can the Goan exchequer afford such projects? Will the State government take the same precautions from Pernem to Polem to stop people and cattle from straying on to this highway � like was done on the Mumbai-Pune expressway with the help of fences? Consider National Highway 17, which runs from Maharashtra to Karwar, which traverses through numerous villages, towns and cities. Everyday there is some accident reported, either a death or a grievous injury. One shudders to think what will be the toll if we have a four-lane highway traversing the entire State? And most importantly can Goa afford such an investment? Could not that money be spent on more essential facilities? How about improving facilities at Goa Medical College, patients complain that there are no syringes in the hospital. Buy better equipment for the public hospitals; increase the funding of Goa University, whose budget has been slashed from Rs 13 crores to Rs 5 crores. Open more sewage plants, use the money to remove M V River Princess, resurface Goa�s internal roads. The list can go on � these are issues of essence and importance. Something which Goa needs � desperately. Yes, let us spend on critical areas like education, power and health. This is what Goa needs and not highways to death.
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