Batiem-Cuncolim locals stop trucks carrying slag after a death on the narrow road on Tuesday; Nuvem locals say slag will pollute their fields
Transportation of industrial slag from the Cuncolim Industrial Estate for road making triggered outrage and protests, bringing citizens on the streets at Cuncolim and Nuvem on Wednesday
TEAM HERALD
CUNCOLIM: Agitated residents of Batiem staged a flash rasta roko and stopped plying of trucks carrying industrial slag from the Cuncolim Industrial Estate on the narrow Batiem-Panzorconne road ~ the site of a fatal accident on Tuesday, which had claimed the life of a young two-wheeler rider from Ambaulim.
The residents took to the streets and stopped the trucks before the Cuncolim police moved in to avert any law and order problem. They contended that over 200 trucks are plying on the narrow road posing danger to the lives of the local residents, especially school children. The protest comes against a day after the death of a two-wheeler rider at Batiem after he was knocked down by a speeding truck from Tamil Nadu.
Cuncolim Municipal Chairperson Devendra Desai demanded to know how the authorities have permitted plying of 200 trucks on the narrow Batiem-Panzorcone road and demand diversion of traffic. He said that the narrow road cannot bear the additional traffic transporting the industrial slag and wondered how the authorities have turned a blind eye to the transportation.
Tarajan Desai said people of Batiem will not tolerate plying of 200 trucks on the narrow road when a heavy duty truck claimed the life of a young rider on Tuesday. “We would like to know who will assume the responsibility if any death is caused by the transportation of slag by the trucks. We first want to know who is responsible for transporting the slag. Let someone come forward and take responsibility,” he demanded.
A local resident Leo Coutinho said the transporters start the activity at around 6 am and sought to know the authorities who have given the permission to ply trucks on the narrow road.
A woman Resurrection Fernandes said the authorities should produce all permissions granted for the transportation on the narrow road.
When contacted, Cuncolim MLA Rajan Naik said that he has asked the police to divert transportation of the industrial slag on the Ambaulim or Balli road. He admitted that the Batiem-Panzorconne road is narrow to take the heavy traffic load, adding that he has directed the power officials to erect new electric poles to prevent snapping of overhead
power lines.
TEAM HERALD
NUVEM: Activists and panch members of Nuvem village panchayat, besides villagers stopped filling of the low-lying fields of Nuvem with industrial slag from the Cuncolim Industrial Estate for the proposed Nuvem by-pass.
They demanded an immediate stop to the work and restoration of the fields, raising questions whether the government authorities had obtained permission under section 17-A for the land filling.
An agitated ward member Anson Dias demanded that the contractor take away the slag and dump it at its source. “The slag will not only affect the fields, but pollutants will find its way in the adjoining river Sal,” he apprehended.
Dias further demanded to know why the contractor was in such a hurry to commence work when the work orders states that the work should commence only from September 20.
Activist Zarinha Da Cunha maintained that the PWD cannot dump the industrial slag from Cuncolim for road filling without permissions from the authorities. “Dumping of industrial slag will affect the fields and the river. We are not against the road bypass construction, but it should be done scientifically even with a flyover,” she said, while regretting the attitude of the flying squad to the issue.
She reminded that since the fields are low ling, land filling activity cannot take place without prior permission of the Chief Town Planner.
Jose Roque Andrade said the people of Nuvem have raised four issues with the PWD, including construction of a flyover on the Majorda-Nuvem road to avoid congestion. “The people have taken to the streets to know whether TCP permission is issued to fill low-lying land. “We have demanded proper water ways while constructing the road. What happened in Cuncolim should not repeat at Nuvem. We have demanded that the authorities should present all the NOCs from the agencies concerned. The PWD should carry out an Environment Impact Assessment report before going ahead with the road,” he said, while demanding to know the quality of the waste dumped in the fields.
A local woman Francisca Fernandes has raised fears that her fields will be submerged in the absence of water ways along the bypass under construction. PWD Contractor Cleofacio Dias, however, said that he has undertaken the work as per the instructions of the PWD officials.
Slag harmless: GSPCB
MARGAO: Chairman of Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) Jose Manuel Noronha has said that industrial slag has been certified by the Board as inert since it does not react chemically and biologically.
When his attention was drawn to the protests by citizens of Nuvem over the dumping of industrial slag for land filling for the Nuvem bypass, Noronha reminded that there was a similar case before the High Court two years wherein the Board had submitted to the court that slag is inert as it does not react chemically and biologically.
He said the the Board has already granted permission to the PWD to use the industrial slag for construction of road embankments in the state.
