TEAM HERALD
CURCHOREM: Health Officer Dr Rajendra Borkar on Tuesday claimed that 90 percent of the houses and hotels in the Curchorem market area do not have soak pits and have been illegally releasing water in public drains.
Dr Borkar made the observation during a joint inspection of Curchorem market area undertaken by the Curchorem Health Centre and Curchorem-Cacora Municipal Council (CCMC), following directives by the CCMC Chief Officer Agnelo Fernandes.
Acting on a Herald report highlighting the accumulation of sewage in roadside drains at the market and surrounding areas, a team consisting Dr Borkar, Sanitary Inspector Pascoal Fernandes, a field staff team, CCMC Municipal Engineer Uday Dessai, Market Inspector Dhiraj Sawant and Ward Councillor Rocha Pereira inspected all roadside drains.
Speaking to media persons after the inspection, Dr Borkar admitted the unhygienic conditions in the market area.
“We found 90 percent of the houses and hotels in the market area do not have soak pits and are releasing water in the public drains, which are not permitted by the law. We have now asked the CCMC to provide a list of all houses and hotels/restaurants which are registered with them,” said Dr Borkar.
“With the assistance of the CCMC, we will form a committee and inspect the houses and hotels to check the source of nuisance. Accordingly, we will issue notices to the parties concerned,” he added.
Dr Borkar, however, added that this exercise was necessary in the interest of people in the area.
“We need public cooperation in this task. The drive is not against anyone, but to take precaution to prevent an outbreak of vector borne diseases,” said Dr Borkar.
Curchorem MLA Nilesh Cabral, who later joined the inspecting team.
He directed the health officer to take strict action against those found guilty of causing nuisance in the area.
“The team will physically inspect the area to find out who is releasing sewage in public gutters. This drive is necessary to avoid further diseases like dengue,” said Cabral.
Requesting the public to treat their own sewage, Cabral said: “It is painful to see that some people are still throwing waste on the roads despite my continuous efforts to keep the city clean.”
by collecting market garbage twice a day.”
“I have provided litter bins in the market and we have urged the public to use them. In the same way, I am collecting garbage from shops and other establishments twice in a day, but at the end of the day, I still find garbage on the road,” the MLA added.
Herald had highlighted the issue of stagnation of water in low-lying areas at Curchorem market, with residents accusing authorities of doing little to resolve the problem.
