Team Herald
SANGUEM: Environment conscious residents of Sanvordem have bitterly complained of alleged illegal act of dumping fly ash powder by a private company in Santona ward.
Aggrieved citizen Nandesh Dessai claimed that since last couple of months, the company has been allegedly dumping the fly ash powder into laterite stone quarries in the village, which have been abandoned by the operators.
Consequent to the alleged dumping of the black power into the abandoned quarries, a layer of red mud is placed on the top of the black powder to avoid the black powder from being noticed by the public.
It is pertinent to note that as a general rule, the company is not permitted to dump the fly ash powder (black powder) into an open area but instead the fly ash powder is to be used in the preparation of bricks, which later could be used in the construction activity.
However, as the preparation of bricks and the transportation of the fly ash powder to an alternate destination would involve huge costs, the company as per its convenience has allegedly dumped the fly ash powder in the abandoned stone quarries allegedly to save cost.
Incidentally, Nandesh Dessai along with another villager Pradip Naik claimed to have made several representations to the law enforcing agencies including the Deputy Collector office, Sanvordem panchayat and mamlatdar’s office. Except for strictures from the Sanvordem Sarpanch Sandip Pawaskar’s office, all the other agencies failed to act into the matter.
Acting upon Dessai’s complaint, the Sanvordem sarpanch had instructed the concerned parties to stop the dumping fly ash powder in the abandoned quarries and had warned of strict action if the company failed to do so.
However, taking advantage of the Eid holiday on Wednesday, the company contractor allegedly dumped the fly ash powder in the abandoned quarries and in the process also cut and buried several wild trees beneath the fly ash powder.
