TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: The ghost of pollution came back to haunt the government as citizens on Wednesday submitted a memorandum to the Industries Minister Mahadev Naik and IDC Chairman Ganesh Gaonkar to stop pollution in the Cuncolim Industrial estate.
A delegation led by Tarachand Desai demanded that the authorities take care of the hazardous waste left behind in a plot by erstwhile Sunrise Zinc Ltd in a captive land fill site to prevent contamination of land, water bodies, fields and wells.
The delegation also pointed out to the huge accumulation of the slag from the rolling and smelting plants, which is now being lifted away for the purpose of land filling and for roads. Tarachand said the trucks plying along the narrow Bhatiem-Panzorconne road have resulted in many accidents. “The life and rightful free movement of people from Bhatiem-Veroda and Panzorcone is threatened by the reckless traffic from the Industrial estate,” he said.
While Cuncolim MLA Rajan Naik has also pitched for curbing pollution at the industrial estate, the Industries Minister and the IDC chairman batted for controlling and minimising pollution in Cuncolim.
Incidentally, the local MLA had recently called upon the Goa state pollution control Board not to give any more NOCs for polluting units such as the Fish meal plants since they are polluting in nature. Questions, however, were raised at the function as to why the government is not closing down the polluting units, including the lone fish meal plant, if it indeed causes pollution at the Industrial estate. “We only hope the government does not want a monopoly in the Cuncolim IDC as far as fish meal plants are concerned. If the local MLA does not want any more fish meal plants because the lone plant is pollution, then the government owes an explanation to the people of Cuncolim why the pollution unit is not closed down till date”, remarked a citizen.
