The first revolution against the Portuguese Rule in Goa was started by Cuncollekars from the historic village of Cuncolim, known as the land of warriors and it is very sad that we, the present day Cuncollekars yet could not revolt against the severe pollution caused by the various polluting industries at the Cuncolim Industrial Estate for over two decades. Breathing fresh air and drinking clean, pure water is a fundamental right of every citizen but sadly our ground water has been polluted and we are forced to breathe highly polluted air. Carbon deposits in our homes and foul, killer smell in the air supposedly coming from the fish meal plants is the daily affair and yet the polluting units run in full swing with no authorities showing any interest in seriously dealing with these polluting industries. The second fish meal plant was all set to come up in Velim during the tenure of Benjamin Silva as a Velim MLA but people of Velim rightly and successfully raised their voice against the plant and latter it was dumped in Cuncolim. The then MLA did object to it but his objection was overruled by his own party. Few concerned Cuncollekars also did raise the voice against the said plant but our voice did not have the right power like our ancestors .Now it’s time to prove our warrior qualities and protect the air from the killer smell. If not, God have mercy on us all.
Now let us come to the Goa State Pollution Control Board. Really confused to understand if this board is to control pollution or to allow pollution? Is this an independent board set up to protect the environment or controlled by the mafias who have got no respect towards nature? How many site inspections the pollution board has done till now? What was the outcome of such site inspections? Site inspections will not help; it is just a paper exercise.
With such destruction of environment in broad daylight, I am sure that the souls of our ancestors who sacrificed their lives for their land are very much upset and definitely not resting in peace.
The village has got a rich and great history. Just celebrating histories will not help. It’s time to act and save our village from these highly polluting units. We all feel the killer smell on daily basis but the authorities have given a free hand to these polluting units to operate and kill us all. How much more time do they need to act?
It’s time to stand united and act against these polluting units now. And if we don’t act now then the future of our historic village will be miserable. Let us not destroy the future of Cuncollekars who are yet to see the light of Cuncolim. Let us unite and create another chapter in our village history if required to save our land of warriors.
