Team Herald
PONDA: Concerned about the dangerous vertical hill cutting for a crematorium, which has caused major landslides, the locals of Curti-Khandepar fear that a Wayanad-like incident could occur, burying the crematorium and the residential area of Deep Nagar, Curti, which is located at the base of the hill.
The locals demanded that the Ponda Disaster Management Team inspect the site and take precautionary measures to protect the massive hill so as to prevent untoward incidents.
The locals said that around 17,000 square metres of hilly land was acquired from the comunidade for crematorium purposes. However, without paying much attention, the hill was dangerously cut vertically to develop land for crematorium where now major landslides have occurred.
Highlighting the excessive hill cutting for the crematorium, exceeding the required area, social worker and environmentalist Sandeep Parkar warned of the potential for a Wayanad-like situation due to the ongoing landslides.
Parkar said for levelling the land for crematorium there has been dangerous hill cutting at heights of 10 to 15 metres. He said for the Hindu crematorium, 500 sqms were sufficient, but around 2,000 sqm area of hill was cut vertically.
Parkar said that major landslides have already occurred at the hill cutting site and added that the Talathi had reported the incident to the Disaster Management team.
Parkar said that the panchayat should construct a protection wall to prevent landslides and alleged that the crematorium land has been encroached upon by the migrants..