CUNCOLIM: Hazardous chemical waste that has been lying at Cuncolim Industrial Estate for the last 22 years, will finally be taken away with the government approving a grant of Rs 5 crore for it.
This hazardous waste that is estimated to be about 25,000 tonnes will be shifted to Pissurlem Industrial Estate for processing by a private agency.
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Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) Chairman, Mahesh Patil said the shifting of this waste will commence in December and added that the Board has sought a total grant of Rs 13 crore from the government to rid the Cuncolim Industrial Estate of the hazardous waste accumulated there.
Thousands of tonnes of hazardous waste has been lying abandoned by Nicomet and Sunrise Zinc factories which were ordered to down their shutters by the Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court after hearing two petitions against them for causing pollution.
In fact, the court order came after it was established before it through photographs and chemical analysis report that they had dumped their slag at an abandoned quarry at Paddi on the way to Canacona.
While Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) transferred the land occupied by these two companies to other units, the hazardous chemical waste left behind by them was not attended to since 2001 when the factories started operating and remained unattended since 2007 when the factories were shut down.
Cuncolim MLA Yuri Alemao who is also the Leader of Opposition raised this matter in the Assembly and castigated the government for putting the lives of people living in Cuncolim in peril.
Responding to the complaint about bad odour emanating from the industrial estate, Mahesh Patil disclosed that the fish meal plants have cleared all pollution tests thereby implying that the bad odour is not coming from them.
He pointed out that of the 10 fish meal plants at Cuncolim Industrial Estate, the Board had ordered closure of only two as they were not able to keep pollution under control.
However, locals do not buy this claim that there is no pollution by the fish meal plants primarily because two such plants were found to be dumping their waste in illegally constructed bore wells for which they were even fined and secondly because the bad odour began emanating only after the fish meal plants commenced operations.
While Mahesh Patil asserted that the Board has conducted an audit of the factories operating in Cuncolim Industrial Estate and gave a clean chit to the Steel factories there, he remained silent on the people’s demand to have an office of the Cuncolim Pollution Control Board at the Industrial Estate.
Set up nodal agency to end violations at Cuncolim Industrial Estate: Yuri
MARGAO: Leader of the Opposition Yuri Alemao on Monday reiterated that the government set up a nodal agency to ensure coordination between various government departments to control and stop violations by industrial units at Cuncolim.
Yuri said that his efforts have finally compelled the BJP government to sanction Rs five crore to Goa State Pollution Control Board to clear hazardous waste lying in Cuncolim Industrial Estate.
“I urge the government to provide requisite funds and firmly act to put an end to pollution in Cuncolim Industrial Estate and give permanent relief to Cuncolkars,” he said.
Reacting to the GSPCB Chairman Mahesh Patil’s statement claiming that he has received a sanction letter from the government to clear hazardous waste in Cuncolim, Yuri said that he is keeping a watch on every movement of the authorities.
“After my relentless efforts, GSPCB woke up to conduct a pollution audit of Cuncolim Industrial Estate. Hope this is not an eye wash. Cuncolkars remember how the orange fox industry was shut and opened soon. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant should understand that chicanery will result in law and order problems, he warned.
