Team Herald
ASSAGAO: The much awaited and talked about site inspection of the natural Oxel Spring (zor) d finally took place on Friday with Water Resources Department (WRD) engineers and expert technicians finally took place on Friday.
It may be recalled that the High Court had last week directed the WRD to conduct a site inspection and submit a report specifying the impact of the ongoing construction on the spring.
The report will now be submitted to the High Court of Bombay at Goa, which is hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) writ petition filed by a resident of the area Suraj Chodankar and Avertino Miranda, a green activist challenging the construction work of villas and a swimming pool near the underground spring which is reported to be around 350 years old.
The division bench of the HC had also directed the Town and Country Planning Department (TCP) to file an affidavit specifying the scientific study that was undertaken and whether any technical expert was consulted or a report obtained before issuing peermission
The PIL will come up for hearing on November 14.
After drawing flak for coming ill-prepared for the inspection on November 5, the WRD officials on Friday arrived for inspection of the Oxel Spring with expert technicians, hydrologist Pratik Shinde and all required equipment to carry out a hydraulic test on the aquifers in the surrounding areas.
Locals had alleged that the construction coming up barely 30 metres from the spring will pollute the aquifers which in turn will contaminate the natural spring water making it a dead spring.
The activists fighting to save the spring had earlier petitioned all authorities including the WRD and since no one was forthcoming in action, they were forced to take legal action. PWD Executive Engineer Milind Gaude informed that following inspection, a report would be prepared and the same would be submitted before the High Court at its next hearing since it was the Court that had ordered the inspection.
One of the petitioners Suraj Chodankar, who was present during the inspection, expressed satisfaction over the inspection. " I hope that an absolute impartial report would be prepared and submitted to the Court since the future of this spring was at stake. This matter could be a landmark case for all springs situated across the State" Chodankar said.