PONDA: Call it an inadvertent typographical error or a mischievous manipulation: The Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) has invited the Bandora villagers for a safety demonstration of the sewerage treatment plant at Undir on ‘February 30’.
The month of February has 29 days in leap years, while in normal years it has 28 days. Thus, the pollution board’s invite has plunged the Bandora villagers into confusion.
The villagers have been opposing to sewerage treatment plant at Undir- Bandora on ground that it would cause pollution in the area. The villagers are also angry that the panchayat failed to take them into confidence before issuing NOC for the project. However, despite the opposition by the villagers, the pipeline laying work of the project is nearing completion. The sewerage treatment plant project is undertaken by GSIDCL.
Following this, the Pollution Board intervened to assure the people about the safety of the project; and to give them a safety demonstration, it sent them a letter with an instruction to gather at the plant site for a demonstration on February 30.
On receiving the invite, local activist Gurudas Naik wrote to the Pollution Board pointing out the mistake in the date. Subsequently, the Pollution Board sent a second invite to the villagers for the safety demonstration on January 30, but this time the letter reached after January 30. Now, the villagers are awaiting a third invite hoping that this time it reaches on time and the date exists in the calendar.
