Cuncolim Municipal Council (CMC) Chairperson Landry Mascarenhas has warned that the town could be shut down if attempts are made to pursue the proposed fish meal plant despite public opposition. “If any attempt is being made to bulldoze with the fish meal plant, we will not keep quiet. We may go for the shut down as a mark of protest,” Mascarenhas said. He made it clear that the civic body stands with residents, pointing to years of industrial pollution. “Enough is enough and I hope that better sense will prevail and the promoters will withdraw the project. If not, the promoters will have to face the wrath of the people of Cuncolim,” he said. Citing health data, the Chairperson argued that people are questioning why they should be asked to accept another hazardous unit. “The elected representatives are being questioned by the people whether we are getting the second fish meal plant to kill them with these polluting projects.
There’s no way the CMC will give approval for the project,” he said. Mascarenhas also demanded answers on why the project, first proposed in Quepem, was shifted to Cuncolim. “Let someone explain why the project has been moved from Quepem to Cuncolim and the reasons why the government has granted approval for the location change,” he said