MARGAO: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Goa convenor Elvis Gomes expressed surprise that the authorities have clandestinely cleared the path to construct 2,600 new houses in the heavily polluted area around the Cuncolim Industrial Estate.
The authorities were playing with the lives of people due to the “weight of money bags”, he said and lamented that the authorities have till date failed to control the pollution in the industrial estate.
Pointing out that the Chairman of the Goa State Pollution Control Board did not even have the courtesy to reply to the various letters addressed to him by the youth of Cuncolim over the pollution at the industrial estate, the GSPCB and Collectorate officials should camp at the Cuncolim Industrial Estate for a week to experience the quantum of pollution.
Displaying the list of polluting industries, Elvis alleged that some of them like United Marine, Quality Exports, Indospirits, Nicomet, Shirdi Steel, Sharda Ispat and Quality Foods did not even have the NOC from the fire services and were generating huge quantities of effluents as they did not have effluent treatment plant or a sewage treatment plant.
Threatening to move the National Green Tribunal to seek relief from the polluting industries in Cuncolim Industrial Estate, Elvis claimed that taking advantage of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar’s illness some persons were moving to build 2,600 houses near the industrial estate.
Pointing out that this proposal is shrouded in mystery, he sought details from the Cuncolim Municipal Council on this matter and clarified that he was not against housing for local Goans but said the manner in which the proposal is being moved makes it clear that there is some hidden agenda.
