TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: The 25,000 tonnes of hazardous waste lying dumped at the Cuncolim Industrial Estate is unlikely to be carted away until the proposed hazardous waste landfill site at Dharbandora takes complete shape.
This implies that the huge mound of hazardous waste at the Cuncolim Industrial Estate will continue to remain “covered” at the site for the next couple of months. For, the Dharbandora landfill site is not ready for waste dumping, nor there’s any agency to develop the 10,000 sq mts of area within the Cuncolim Industrial Estate for land filling.
Chairman of Goa State Pollution Control Board Jose Manuel Noronha said the Board is pushing the Industrial Waste Management Authority to start the Dharbandora landfill site at the earliest.
“The Environment Clearance which was issued earlier had lapsed and the same has been renewed last month”, Noronha said.
He admitted that until the Dharbandora landfill site becomes a reality, it is nigh possible to cart away the hazardous waste lying at the Cuncolim Industrial Estate. “That’s the prime reason why the GSPCB has now directed The Axis occupying the plot containing the state to cover the same before the onset of monsoons”, he added.
When asked why the plot of land admeasuring 10,000 sq mts which was allotted to Sunrise Zinc is not developed as a landfill site, Noronha said the question that arises is who will develop the site, with the Axis refusing to set up the landfill site.
“Rough estimates have put the expenses on developing the plot as landfill site to around Rs two crore. The Axis has refused to develop the landfill site on grounds that they did not produce the hazardous waste”, he said.
On the status of Ms Nicomet Industry at Cuncolim, Noronha said a Bangalore-based agency will carry out a study, analysis and report on the operation of the factory at the industrial estate.
“We have told the agency to submit a preliminary report by April-end or early May. The detailed report will take 5-6 months”, he added.
GSPCB mulling legal proceedings against Sunrise Zinc
MARGAO: The Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) is mulling legal proceedings against Ms Sunrise Zinc for the hazardous waste at the Cuncolim Industrial estate.
With the FIR registered by the Cuncolim Police on a complaint by GSPCB in respect of the hazardous waste making no headway, the Pollution Board is considering initiating legal proceedings against Ms Sunrise Zinc for dumping the hazardous waste in the IDC plots before closing down the unit.
GSPCB Chairman Jose Manuel Noronha said the Board has consulted its legal counsel how to go about initiating legal proceedings against Ms Sunrise Zinc. “It is an admitted fact that the FIR registered by the Cuncolim Police has failed to ascertain the whereabouts of the owners of Ms Sunrise Zinc. We are now contemplating legal proceedings against the company owners”, Noronha added.
