MARGAO: A group of residents in Betalbatim staged a protest on Monday to voice their opposition and concerns regarding a proposed four-villa project in their village. Their objections centred around the project’s proximity to a chapel and the absence of approval from the gram sabha.
The protesting villagers also pointed out that their village is grappling with existing infrastructure-related issues, such as water scarcity, power fluctuations, inadequate waste disposal, and a lack of sewage infrastructure.
The residents said, “This cannot be permissible while we, the existing population, are striving to get sufficient water for our basic consumption.”
One of their primary concerns is the potential release of chemically treated water from the swimming pools of the villas into the nearby water body Dar Lake. They fear this could lead to pollution of the key water reservoir in their village. This, in turn, could contaminate the fields that rely on the lake, as well as the wells in the vicinity.
“The whole process would get into our food chain, which, in turn, will impact our health as we are already dealing with health issues. It would also lead to contamination of the neighbourhood wells,” the protestors emphasised.
