NHT

Panaji, Apr 3: The Madkaim-Cortalim ferry route, which connects Madkaim, Kundaim and Verna industrial estate, is perhaps the longest ferry route in the state. Though it is one of the most important links, repeated pleas being made by the residents of Madkaim to develop necessary infrastructure to pave the way for a bridge from Madkaim to Aggacaim, are turning to deaf ears.

Even after a decade of the tragic accident which claimed the lives of over 35 people from Madkaim while crossing over to carry out their farming activities, the government has failed to take necessary steps to build a small bridge.

The ferry service between Cortalim and Madkaim is extensively used by people living in Mardol, Mangueshi, Bandhora and Madkaim particularly those working in Vasco and Panaji as it’s time saving as well as economical. Yet the people have to face a lot of hardships even though the river navigation department has two ferries operating. With the ferry boat every 30 minutes, the journey across takes around 20-30 minutes depending on the tide.

The people face a lot of hardship during low tide, where the ferry boats cannot navigate, sometimes leaving the passengers stranded for even 3 hours, while a bridge from Madkaim to Aggacaim will reduce all the time to cross over to just 10-15 minutes.

Villagers from Madkaim informed that they have time and again placed the demand for a bridge before the authorities, including the North Goa Member of Parliament, Mr Shripad Naik, the Chief Minister, Mr Digambar Kamat however the bridge is still to see the light of the day. The villagers however informed that the roads in the nearby areas are narrow and would not be able to support the traffic that would use them if a bridge is constructed and would lead to a number of mishaps.

Some locals suggested that the government could built a 4-lane bypass connecting the village from Navdurga Temple to Curjua bandh and Kundaim junction which will avoid the traffic from entering into the village. They said “we cannot have the bridge till we have the infrastructure to support it.”

Mr Vikas Kuvelkar from Madkaim said the services have improved considerably, more so after the introduction of new ferry boats. “Earlier, we used to face a lot of breakdowns and irregular service, however in the last couple of months, the services have improved,” he said.

While Ms Preti Naik who works in Panaji said that the ferryboat comes very handy as it’s a shortcut, however she informed that the ferryboats take a lot of time to cross sometimes even 20-30 minutes, they should try to cover the distance in less time, she felt. Secondly, during peak hours, the ferryboats get crowded with two-wheelers and four-wheelers very quickly leaving a lot of the passengers stranded, she added.

The river navigation officials informed that crossing takes time depending on the tide, the distance is normally covered within 15 minutes on the new ferryboats which have two engines, while it takes around 20 minutes on the old ferryboats, however crossing takes longer during low tide.

The Madkaim sarpanch, Mr Rajendra Phate said: “We need a bridge and we had placed a proposal before the government some 6 years back, and had got assurances from the leaders; however nothing much has materialised till date. Secondly, the village doesn’t have the infrastructure to support the traffic even though the bridge will act as a direct link between the Madkaim, Kundaim and Verna industrial estate.”