Team Herald
CUNCOLIM: Cuncolim MLA Clafasio Dias on Wednesday said it is high time that all the polluting units in the Cuncolim Industrial Estate need to be shut down immediately as they have caused massive damage to the environment.
Addressing media persons, he said, “The Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) must not target only the three units but needs to check all polluting ones and punish the culprits.”
“I had sought a report on illegal borewells and will meet both Environment Minister and Chief Minister to sort out the pollution issue. There are more illegal borewells in the Cuncolim Industrial Estate, the GSPCB needs to inspect all factories and must use same scale without sparing any one. Not only fish meal plants but the steel plants also contribute a lot to pollution and all these polluting units must be shut down immediately”, Dias demanded.
Meanwhile, the GSPCB sealed 10 illegal borewells at United Marine Products and Quality Foods which were found discharging effluents.
Earlier, the Board had sealed 13 borewells in four different fish plants.
All fish plants and processing units were supposed to set up plant to treat effluents but none of them followed the pollution norms.
It is pertinent to note that for the last eight years these plants have been discharging effluents. Recently, the GSPCB had conducted the pollution audit with help of some private agencies. During the raid, the GSPCB found several illegal borewells at fish plants which were discharging effluents.
Meanwhile, the Expert Committee constituted with regards to illegal borewells had called for GSPCB action against all units responsible for causing damage to the environment.
