CUNCOLIM: Drawing parallels to the fact that the first battle for Goa’s Liberation from the Portuguese began with Cuncolim, youth from this town warned of a second revolution if the authorities do not give them relief from the pollution caused by the Cuncolim Industrial Estate.
Around 100 people had gathered at the gate to Cuncolim Industrial Estate on Sunday, heeding to a call given by some local youth even as prominent politicians stayed away from the meeting.
While resolving to meet again on next Sunday, October 29 to chalk out the further course of action, three resolutions were adopted by those gathered.
The first decision was to immediately review the status of pollution caused by the plants at the industrial estate and the Chief Minister, Industries Minister, Goa State Industrial Development Corporation and Goa State Pollution Control Board were asked to undertake this.
Secondly, the group demanded that the Goa State Pollution Control Board set up a permanent office in the Industrial Estate with an official present at all times to check the pollution levels.
The third demand was to immediately recover the huge fines levied on fish processing plants that were found guilty of discharging effluents in the ground by digging illegal bore wells. Incidentally, there are 12 fish processing plants in this industrial estate.
While convener of the meeting Shantanu Dessai proposed the three demands, others who spoke at the meeting were Kabir Morais, Vijay Prabhu and Ms Sagarika Prabhu Gaonkar.
It would be pertinent to point out that since the industrial estate was established around 20 years ago, people in the area have been suffering a lot due to pollution caused by the units, some of which were even closed after some people knocked on the doors of the court over the matter.
The groundwater in the surrounding area is highly polluted as evident from the fact that water from wells is no longer fit for human consumption.
Besides, air pollution is so rampant that many people, especially children suffer from respiratory diseases.
