Team Herald
CURCHOREM: The newly formed “Curchorem Constituency People Awareness Samiti (CCPAS)” took out rally in Curchorem market on Sunday holding placards and shouting slogans opposing proposed Rail Freight Terminal (RFT) at Assolda and Solid Waste Management Facility (SWMF) project at Cacora-Curchorem.
Addressing a press conference on Saturday late evening, former CCMC Councillor Pushkal Sawant said that Curchorem MLA Nilesh Cabral wants to bring SWMF by misguiding people. “Why Curchorem needs mega SWMF which requires minimum100 tonnes, when our total garbage collection per day is only 8 to 10 tonnes?” asked Sawant and appealed to the voters to defeat the MLA this time.
Shrikant, the councillor in whose ward the SWMF proposed to be set up, said the MLA was interfering in council affairs and not allowing them to work.
Assolda Sarpanch Dayanand Naik said that earlier Fomento company wanted to set up ‘Merry Go Round Terminal’ in Xelvona and the project was scraped due to opposition by local people and now the company wants to bring RFT at Assolda in hand in glove with the local MLA. “Despite our requests, the MLA failed to raise the issue in the assembly and the road widening work done from Shivaji Chowk to Hoddar is supporting our claim,” Naik said.
Clarifying his position on the issued later in the evening, Curchorem MLA Nilesh Cabral said that members of the newly formed organization at the time of election are spreading false rumours and misguiding people.
“Come what may be I will never allow the proposed (RFT) for handling of multi-cargo at Assolda Xic-Xelvona and if they want to build it than they have to do so over my dead body,” said Cabral.
During the press conference called by Cabral to clarify the allegations levelled against him by CCPAS, he said that the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) is an autonomous body to which the company Sociedade de Fomento Industrial Pvt Ltd had approached to submit the report after inspecting the area for prior environmental clearance which any one can do after paying necessary fees to SEIAA.
