Team Herald
PONDA: Locals in Dhatwada, Usgao fear flooding in their Village due to massive hill-cutting activities and illegal dumping of mud in private land at roadside and Communidade forest land near Marvasada, which also blocked natural drains.
Since the past week, a tense situation has prevailed at Usgao, against the hill-levelling and mud-extraction activities at Usgao by MRF company at Usgao for its expansion plant, which has been opposed by the locals. Ore-extracting machinery is engaged in hill-levelling activities, while hundreds of trucks are involved in transportation of mud, which is being dumped in the village and Communidade area and locals are up in arms against this move.
Locals also stopped mud transportation after a truck transporting mud seriously injured a local biker and have demanded action against MRF company for the activities which they claiming were illegal.
The locals have now approached in High Court over pollution, degradation of environment, chopping of hill and cutting of thousands of coconut trees.
The company, which claims to have TCP and Usgao Panchayat permission to level the hill and transport mud, has continued its operation, despite protests.
Taking note of the tension at Usgao, Ponda Deputy Collector Navnath Naik, along with Ponda Mamlatdar Juvao Fernandes, Ponda PI Harish Marcaikar inspected the two sites of mud dumped by MRF company extracted from expansion plant site, following locals complain of flooding due to the illegal dump.
When asked, the Deputy Collector said about thousands of loaded truck dumped mud in private and Communidade land and they will verify whether all permissions were taken and subsequently proper action would be initiated.
However, Dhatwada locals Vasudev Gaude and others said the MRF expansion plant activities were illegal and they were already facing heavy pollution from the existing old plant. Besides, the company also did not offer jobs to locals.
They opposed the expansion plant, which they said would lead to the village sacrificing its hills, water resource and environment.
Since the past one year and there were several gram sabha resolutions taken in this regard and now we have approached the High Court against the plant, said Vasudev Gaude and other youth, who are spearheading the agitation.
Locals say mud is being dumped on the roadside and residential areas, violating TCP and various environment laws, which will also block the flow of rain water.
Several people from the area are also protesting against hill-cutting, with people gathering in front of the plant for the past week, demanding a stop to the roadside dumping of mud-extracted from hill-cutting at expansion plant site. Locals also alleged that the mines department had not inspected the extracted mud, which according to them comprises of mineral ore.
Meanwhile, Goa Meat Complex Chairman Satyavijay Naik said MRF company is transporting the mud to dump into Communidade land by trespassing through Meat complex property.
We have not given permission to transport mud through the Meat Complex property, even though they had requested us earlier, he said.
