Asked CM to defer Porvorim road closure until Chaturthi: Khaunte

Panaji: A day after the PWD issued a notification announcing the closure of two lanes of the NH 66 on the O’Coqueiro to Mall De Goa stretch till Jan 31, 2026, for the Porvorim elevated highway corridor work, Porvorim MLA Rohan Khaunte said he has requested chief minister to defer the closure.“Any road closure has to be discussed before hand. We have asked the chief minister to intervene and defer this closure at least till Ganesh Chaturthi festival is over. I am sure the chief minister will come up with a suitable solution on Monday. If the traffic has to be diverted, the internal roads have to be done up first, said Khaunte.PWD had directed that during the road closure effected from Sunday, the traffic will be diverted through the internal B B Borkar Road till the Shivaji junction behind Mall De Goa.“We understand the issues faced by the people. We are with them. We have asked the PWD to understand the concerns of the public and act accordingly,” said Khaunte.The PWD officials have said that the elevated highway work will cost the state more if there are any delays in road closure to allow the work to progress.The deadline for completion of the project is April 2026, which is fast approaching with many spans still left to be fitted.