FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 2024
Team Herald
MARGAO: It appears that the District Administration despite drawing an exhaustive order to contain the Moti Dongor area has failed to keep its residents indoors.
The residents atop Moti Dongor have started moving out of homes via hidden routes by entering the market areas and travelling in public transport thereby putting the lives of a large number of people at risk.
Just like the residents of Zuarinagar and Mangor Hill areas, who are making desperate attempts to leave their residential areas, here atop the Monte hill, the people have been moving out of their homes via hidden walk routes down the hill.
On Sunday, scores of youth used the hidden route to leave the containment zone and were seen taking joy rides, buying alcohol, etc. When Herald tried to check the hidden routes, people were seen leaving the places and returning back to the containment zone in a casual manner.
The police may have sealed the tarred roads, but that has not stopped these residents from taking the hidden routes.
A petrol pump employee was seen moving out of the Moti Dongor containment zone from Borda side. Two boys were seen returning to the hill with soft drinks and wafers via a route besides the water pumping station.
Out of fear the shopkeepers in Aquem till Cine Vishant theatre have kept their stores closed.
A salon owner said, "The people from the containment zone have started to come to our shop. We don't want to land in trouble, hence we have shut down for a while".
In the afternoon, some women were seen waiting for a bus. When asked as to where they were proceeding to, they said that they are daily wage labourers reporting for work at Sonsoddo plant and have taken the hidden route.
South SP Pankaj Gupta said, "If we look at that area it is humanly not possible to put a wall there. We have kept pickets and are patrolling round-the-clock to keep a check on the containment zone that is Moti Dongor ".
The SP informed that there is a likelihood of the shop owners from Moti Dongor who have tested negative may be coming to the market places to restock their shops as they have permissions to do so. He also assured to investigate the entire matter.
The police have sealed the places which were initially found to be potential sneak-out routes.
The Home Department had used the services of drones to survey the areas of Goa during the lockdown. Goa had only seven cases then.
