MARGAO: In connection with a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that was filed by petitioner Antonio Alvares before the Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court (HC) regarding the release of raw sewage into Saipem Lake in Navelim, directions were issued by the court to the Public Works Department (PWD) and Margao Municipal Council (MMC) to find solutions to the problems highlighted.
“The PWD should also render all possible cooperation to the Council (MMC) so that there is some solution to the issues highlighted by the Petitioner in this PIL petition,” said the division bench comprising of Justices M S Sonak and R N Laddha.
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Earlier, during the hearing, Alvares said that he had recently attended the MMC meeting where he was apprised that the Council does not have properly planned-out gutters. In response, one of the counsels for the State government said the MMC is coordinating with the PWD to solve the issue.
The Executive Engineer, Works Division XXI (PHE), PWD, Fatorda was also impleaded as a respondent in this petition.
The counsel for the State government added that a status report had been filed on August 1, 2022, and that the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) had also submitted a compliance report on the matter. Alvares however argued that there is also the issue of the slum settlement, whose residents are discharging untreated sewage into the gutters, which empty out into Saipem Lake. The government’s advocate said it would be looked into, and the HC’s division bench adjourned the matter for the next hearing on September 19.
