QUEPEM: A dispute arose over the illegal pumping of water from a lake in Avadem during nighttime, leading to clashes between two groups and a large crowd of concerned onlookers.
The confrontation occurred at Cotombi Lake, where locals from Avedem village attempted to halt the unauthorised extraction of water. Tensions escalated as arguments erupted between villagers who opposed the water pumping and those who were engaged in the activity without proper permission.
Fearing a law-and-order problem, some villagers contacted the police to control the situation. PI Vaibhav Naik from Curchorem and later Deputy Superintendent Rane promptly arrived at the scene to address the matter. They took immediate action to halt the water pumping, which was reportedly being conducted for illegal fishing purposes, thereby restoring order to the village during the night.
The incident has come to the attention of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which is reviewing the details of the case. Vishal Desai, a local resident of Avadem, expressed his concerns about the incident.
He said the lake had been designated as an environmentally protected water body nearly a year ago, and efforts were made to beautify it under the Zilla Panchayat. However, just two days ago, unknown individuals employed pumps to extract water from the lake for illegal fishing activities. Desai strongly condemned these actions, considering them as a severe threat to the water bodies and highlighting the removal of mud from the lake, which was then deposited in the beautification area. He also mentioned that a complaint had been filed by senior citizens in this regard.
