PONDA: The digging work for a protection wall in Shantinagar, Ponda, triggered a landslide that buried two labourers on Wednesday. Their lives were saved thanks to Ponda fire personnel, who rushed to the spot and quickly cleared the debris.
The landslide occurred at 12.10 pm, when eight workers were trying to uproot a tree to make way for the protection wall. Mud and debris buried the two labourers and continued to slide between two buildings, worrying the residents.
Residents of the buildings located in the vicinity of the landslide have also expressed fear about the safety of their buildings. For some, the fear is more as their buildings stand barely five to six metres away from the collapsed area. An electricity pole on higher ground is also on the verge of falling.
Locals stated that the buildings there were constructed on a levelled hill without considering possible adverse situations. A local, Paradkar, blamed the builder for the incident. He said, “He did not take any precautions before selling the flats to people, whose lives are at risk today.”
Ponda fire personnel rushed to the spot with two fire tenders for the rescue work. Ponda Deputy Collector Johnson Fernandes, DySP Sunita Sawant, PI Sudesh Naik, PMC councillors and locals also rushed to the site. The two injured labourers Hareram Patil and Rampal Chowan from Khandav, Madhya Pradesh were taken to Ponda Sub-District Hospital by a 108 ambulance and are undergoing treatment.
PMC councillor Vincent Paul Fernandes said the buildings were illegally constructed after the hill was cut and the landslide occurred due to softness of the soil. The buildings were constructed around 10-15 years ago in violation of the norms that a protection wall should be constructed before the building at a hill-cutting site.
Ponda MLA Lavoo Mamlatdar said, “The Town and Country Planning officials are responsible for the situation. They pass plans without taking the risk factor into account. The government should take action against them. As per the law, before constructing any building, retaining walls have to be constructed. The Public Works Department (PWD) spends lakhs of rupees to construct protection walls in such dangerous areas. The builder and Town Planning officials are responsible for the incident and it deserves action by government.”
