Team Herald
VASCO: The Chicalim Panchayat authorities have decided to issue a ‘stop work’ notice for the party who has been carrying out dredging on the bank of River Zuari without any intimation to or permission from the local body.
According to reports, the Chicalim Biodiversity Board (CBB) members including Rui Araujo, VP secretary Narayan Azgaonkar who is also the secretary of CBB and two other members had fixed inspections of various important biodiversity sites and plantations located within the panchayat jurisdiction so that CBB can prepare people’s Biodiversity Register (PBR).
After inspecting few biodiversity sites in the village, they were proceeding towards St Jacinto Island and noticed a dredger near one of the shipyard that was engaged into dredging close to Zuari river bank.
“We as members of CBB have always registered our opposition to any sort of dredging in our village jurisdiction. However, we were surprised to note that some party had engaged dredging machine and was dredging the river close to Zuari River bank near one of the shipyards. We immediately asked Azgaonkar to take strict actions against the party,” Araujo said.
Meanwhile, Chicalim Sarpanch Neelima Naik when contacted said that she was very surprised and disappointed to note that someone was carrying out dredging in river bank without giving any intimation or obtaining any permission from the panchayat.“We have decided to issue stop work notice to the party on Monday and we will surely take action against the party,” she added.
