TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: Colva was hit by a row of sorts on Wednesday after an agency dumped material for soil testing for the proposed underground road without putting up any board displaying permissions and the nature of works proposed at the area.
Benaulim MLA Caitu Silva and Colva Sarpanch Snowkon Gonsalves also rushed to the spot after activist Judith Almeida questioned the representative of the Panjim-based agency over the commencement of work without putting up any board displaying the permissions.
Caitu later told the media that the agency was only carrying out soil testing for the proposed road under bridge as part of the plans for widening of the Colva-Margao road. “As per the Regional Plan, road widening cannot take place near the Church area and hence the government was exploring the possibility of taking the road under the bridge. The agency had only come to do the necessary soil testing, because without soil testing such a work cannot be taken up”, he said, while making a plea to the people not to object to the development.
Judith, however, maintained that she was not opposing the project or the development, but has only underlined the need to put up a board displaying the permissions before commencing the work. “We were shocked to find a company setting up a cabin in the low lying field and had dumped tanks and pipes, besides soil testing material. When we questioned them over the absence of the board, a representative of the agency could not answer the question. I told them that law mandates any agency to put up a board near a work site, displaying permission and the nature of work”, she said, and disclosed plans to lodge a formal police complaint if the agency continues the work without displaying any board at the site.
Judith clarified that she had not objected to the work, but had only raised serious objection to the agency’s decision to start the work without displaying the board.
