An official inspecting the gabion wall and the newly widened concrete road at a sharp curve in the Tillari Ghat.
Photo Credits: Louis Rodrigues
BELAGAVI
Travelling to Belagavi has become much easier now that the roads via Chorla and Tillari are fully functional.
The re-tarring of the Chorla road is almost complete, and another key route between Goa and Belagavi via Tillari is now fully open.
This road had been closed since February for passenger buses and heavy vehicles. Repairs, widening, and the reconstruction of the gabion wall were completed earlier this month.
It may be recalled that buses and heavy vehicles were banned from this route since July last year due to heavy monsoons and frequent accidents.
In February, the PWD closed the road for over two weeks to build a gabion wall at a sharp curve prone to accidents. The road at this curve has been widened, and the wall was completed in the first week of March. After that, light vehicles gradually started using the route again.
For over eight months, there was no bus service to Goa and the Konkan region, causing major inconvenience to commuters. Many travellers demanded the restart of the Kolhapur-Panaji bus service via Tillari.
After inspecting the road, PWD officials have now given the green light to MSRTC to resume bus services. The MSRTC carried out its own inspection on Wednesday, and the bus service from Maharashtra and Karnataka to Goa and Konkan is expected to restart by this weekend.
Meanwhile, the PWD has also started widening a narrow 8 km stretch between Motanwadi Cross and Patne.
“The current width of 3.75 metres is being expanded to 5.5 metres for an intermediate lane. This work is expected to be completed before the monsoon,” a PWD official told The Goan.
The distance between Belagavi and Panaji is about 10 km shorter via Tillari compared to the Chorla route. With the gabion wall built at the dangerous curve and the narrow stretch widened, travellers can now expect a smoother and more comfortable journey between Belagavi, Konkan, and Goa, the official added.
