Benaulim locals demand action against Colva businessman for dumping waste

MARGAO, OCT 17
Garbage disposal menace has come back to haunt the villagers of Benaulim on Sunday after they spotted waste dumped by a business establishment along the road leading to St John the Baptist Church.
Colva police rushed to Benaulim around noon after the local youth – who had been maintaining vigil against waste dumping near the Church – found that the waste came from the Colva-based establishment. PSI Gawde late this evening told Herald that the police had arrested and released one person on bail for dumping waste in the area.
Benaulim ZP member Maria Rebello also rushed to the spot, even as the youngsters demanded action against the unscrupulous business owner from Colva for disposing off his waste at Benaulim.
Secretary of the Colva Civic and Consumer Forum Judith Almeida, who was present at the spot, strongly protested over the disposal of waste from Colva into Benaulim.
She lamented that the Colva Panchayat has no system to take care of the garbage generated in the village. “The village Panchayat has written to the high court stating that they have put a system in place to tackle garbage disposal. This only goes to shows that the Panchayat has no system”, she said, while appreciating the youth for maintaining a vigil against unscrupulous elements for dumping waste from other villages in Benaulim.
Almeida has further lamented that the cases lodged at the Colva police station has failed to deter the unscrupulous elements from dumping waste at Benaulim, adding that dumping waste in the open exposes people to various health hazards.