Bhoma Blocks Banastarim Bridge And Highway Widening

15 Jul 2026 CW Team

The sarpanch said the NOC was withheld because the PWD had combined the bridge application with the controversial four-laning of the Bhoma Old Goa stretch. He added that approval for the bridge would effectively clear the widening and that the panchayat had sent several memorandums to National Highway authorities without satisfactory responses. Officials had placed land acquisition markers on one side of the road while leaving the other side unmarked, which the panchayat found unacceptable.

A panchayat member said the village recognised the need for a new bridge but warned that unclear land boundaries threatened long-standing homes and temples. Villagers said they had been told the widening might use a tilted flyover or an elevated corridor to avoid ground damage, but no plan had been shared. The agitation leader said the community demanded a bypass outside the residential perimeter and questioned why a private contractor had been appointed and a Rs 15 billion (bn) sanction claimed without clear land acquisition plans.

The panchayat said its legal freeze on structural permissions would remain until transparent mapping and boundary presentations were held publicly in the village. It insisted any future approval must include clear written and visual plans showing which properties would be affected. The stance has brought the bridge and widening proposals to a halt on the disputed stretch and will persist until the Public Works Department engages with residents and fulfils the demand for public disclosure.

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The Bhoma-Ad Colna Village Panchayat and agitating villagers have rejected and withheld the No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the proposed Banastarim Bridge and the four-lane National Highway NH-748 widening, halting work on the disputed stretch. The panchayat issued an ultimatum to the Goa government and said no structural permissions would be granted until the Public Works Department (PWD) publicly presented exact land acquisition blueprints for the Bhoma section. The position was announced during a joint briefing attended by sarpanch Abdul Khan, panchayat members and local leaders. The sarpanch said the NOC was withheld because the PWD had combined the bridge application with the controversial four-laning of the Bhoma Old Goa stretch. He added that approval for the bridge would effectively clear the widening and that the panchayat had sent several memorandums to National Highway authorities without satisfactory responses. Officials had placed land acquisition markers on one side of the road while leaving the other side unmarked, which the panchayat found unacceptable. A panchayat member said the village recognised the need for a new bridge but warned that unclear land boundaries threatened long-standing homes and temples. Villagers said they had been told the widening might use a tilted flyover or an elevated corridor to avoid ground damage, but no plan had been shared. The agitation leader said the community demanded a bypass outside the residential perimeter and questioned why a private contractor had been appointed and a Rs 15 billion (bn) sanction claimed without clear land acquisition plans. The panchayat said its legal freeze on structural permissions would remain until transparent mapping and boundary presentations were held publicly in the village. It insisted any future approval must include clear written and visual plans showing which properties would be affected. The stance has brought the bridge and widening proposals to a halt on the disputed stretch and will persist until the Public Works Department engages with residents and fulfils the demand for public disclosure.

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