The national highway NH-17B and the construction of a new Borim bridge across the river Zuari by the state's Public Works Department (PWD) and the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) are part of the overall project to turn Goa into a coal hub. The projects entail the construction of a high-level Borim bridge on NH-17B, with approach roads across the river Zuari, and a 5.7 km bypass around the old Borim bridge for improved connectivity to Mormugao Port. In October 2023, the MoRTH published a Gazette notification under Section 3A of the 1956 National Highway Act, for acquiring 39.31 hectares across four villages - Loutolim, Borim, Quela and Bandora. Most of the land belongs to Loutolim and Borim, and the bridge is proposed to be built across 11 hectares of Khazan land. Khazans are reclaimed coastal wetlands from mangroves and marshes, protected CRZ areas under the CRZ Notification 2011. Khazan lands are important sources of income, and serve as flood control systems, acting as temporary storage for stormwater and playing a role in aquifer recharge. Khazan water management systems help control the ingress of saline water into agricultural fields. Construction across Khazan lands causes irreparable damage, affecting traditional agro-pisciculture, leading to the loss of livelihoods, and increasing vulnerability to flooding in surrounding villages.
Villagers from Loutolim and Borim are protesting the land acquisition for the new Borim bridge, as the project would displace them and destroy the Khazan lands. Local tenants' associations and allied environmental NGOs argue that the project's proposed alignment (alternative 7) was chosen based on outdated traffic studies and without a detailed project report (DPR) or an environmental impact assessment (EIA), to prioritise connectivity to Mormugao port. They also argue that the project would displace 4,000 indigenous farmers from Loutolim and Borim, as well as the fishing communities in Vasco city. A significant point of contention is that the PWD failed to obtain environmental and CRZ clearances, failed to address local objections, and continued land surveys and demarcation activities without consent. The tenant farmer groups first filed a petition with the NGT in August 2024, but after a year, in July 2025, they were asked to move to the High Court of Bombay at Goa. Loutolim's Scheduled Tribes additionally filed a petition with the National ST Commission to intervene against the construction of the bridge and highlighted their mistreatment by government officials during land acquisition. The state High Court is currently hearing the petition, but the government has requested time to file affidavits.
