Team Herald
PONDA: Following the lukewarm response for sewage connections, Ponda Municipal Council (PMC) chairperson Anand Naik on Wednesday, urged the town residents to apply for sewage connections by December, failing which, the municipality will impose fines on those releasing waste into open gutters and nullahs from January next year onwards.
Naik said that PMC has taken note that there is poor response for availing sewage connections by residential societies, hospitals, flats, houses and hoteliers in the town. He urged the locals to immediately contact the Sewerage Corporation office at Shantinagar and apply for sewage connections.
He said, “The Council a few month ago had even distributed application forms for sewage connections, however due to the lukewarm response, the sewage continues to be released into the open gutters, nullahs and main nullah causing the entire area to stink. Many residential buildings, hospitals, houses and hotels have not applied for sewage connections. They have a month to apply for the connections, which is mandatory.”
He said, “The 15 MLD sewage treatment plant is ready to treat sewage, however despite repeated appeals, except few many flat owners, houses and hoteliers, have not applied for sewage connection. If all residential buildings are connected to the STP by December, it will be easy to treat sewage. It will also prevent repeated digging of roads for laying sewer lines. If people fail to avail sewage connections, then PMC will impose fines to those releasing waste into gutters and nullahs.”
Sewerage Corporation officials said that there is lukewarm response from the people to sewage connections and there is a need to create more awareness among the locals.
It may be recalled that the 15 MLD STP at Kavlem, inaugurated two years ago, is yet to be made operational to its full capacity following poor response. The aim was to prevent water bodies, drains and nullahs from sewage pollution.