Team Herald
MARGAO: Locals and farmers are aghast to notice alleged filling of river, that too in unscientific manner near the old Borim Bridge in the jurisdiction of Loutolim panchayat.
Farmers and locals residing nearby have expressed anger and demanded the concerned authorities to stop the alleged filling of the river by mud immediately. They fear that all the mud dumped into the river for some sought of port activities related to one private company will result in destruction to their agricultural and khazan land, besides fish harvesting activities.
Several farmers and locals on Thursday gathered at the site and briefed the media persons about the incident.
However, one of the officials of the concerned company, present at the site refused to comment on the issue before the media, but he tried to justify the action in front of the farmers stating that they got all the required permissions for it.
As alleged by the farmers, the said company has dumped hundreds of trucks of mud into the river, without following the guidelines, and they suspect that it is done illegally. Farmers have decided to file a complaint with the Village Panchayat Loutolim and also before the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) authority.
Speaking to media persons, farmers and even locals expressed shock to notice the activities.
“Such type of activities of filling the river will definitely destroy our nature. What is shocking is that the said company has directly dumped the mud into the river for the purpose of mini-port construction,” said Costao Fernandes, farmer from Vanxem.
He further informed that there is a large number of farming communities engaged in agriculture activities on the edge of this river.
“It is hundred percent sure that the khazan land will get destroyed due to the said river filling activities. The mud dumped into the river will flow into the khazan lands, leading to major destruction”, claimed Fernandes.
He said there are a large number of people engaged in fish harvesting, and they spent lakhs of rupees at the time of auctioning, but this filling of river with mud will certainly create problems.
Fernandes said that they will complain to the local panchayat and also with the CRZ authorities, demanding to issue stop work orders to the concerned company, before more destruction is done to the river.
Ramiro Marcarenhas, social activists also expressed shock upon witnessing the said incident.
“The destruction to the environment has reached to a level that even rivers are targeted. Filling the river with mud, and that too without taking any precautions pertaining to the damage to the environment and agricultural activities is unacceptable”, he stated.
He further claimed that hundreds of people will lose their livelihood due to the ongoing activity of filling the river with mud at Vanuxem, near the old Borim bridge.
“Looking at the situations it seems that the concerned company has done major violations of the CRZ norms. We doubt that the company has any permission to carry out the filling of the river with mud”, said Mascarenhas.
