PANAJI: Faced with stiff resistance to his Ministry’s proposal of a port in south Goa’s Betul village, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Thursday suggested the shifting of the project to either Maharashtra or Karnataka.
The proposed port has faced opposition from Congress, Goa Forward, and other political parties, in addition to traditional fishing and coastal communities.
Mr. Gadkari said he was positive that travelling time to Goa from Mumbai by road would soon be reduced to six hours, with the construction of a new concrete four-lane highway connecting the two cities.
Speaking at the signing of a concession agreement between the Mormugao Port Trust and Goa Seaport Pvt. Ltd. for the redevelopment of two berths and other barge berths at the Central government facility, Mr. Gadkari said the current rate at which roads were being built by the Ministry was 22 km per day.
Mr. Gadkari also said that an eight-kilometre highway would be constructed to connect the upcoming Mopa airport in north Goa to National Highway 17 at a cost of Rs. 300 crore.
