The main road between Cotwada and Antruznagar wards in the Curti Panchayat has virtually turned into another Sonsodo with people and Ponda municipal market vendors dumping their waste along the stretch.
The locals allege that people have been dumping garbage along this stretch for over a decade. The residents have made it clear that they want to make the area garbage free and as such they have resorted to patrolling along the stretch to nab the culprits involved in dumping of garbage at the site.
As the site poses a health hazard to the residents, the villagers have displayed a signboard “Private Property” directing the road users to maintain the stretch clean. There is a small temple of Sakhalyo, a dargah and a masjid nearby, but despite having these places of worship along the stretch, the offenders still dump plastic bags filled with garbage.
Locals further alleged of the policemen to have failed to act against those dumping garbage along the road. The motorists drive their vehicles at a high speed along the stretch to avoid the stench.
The garbage strewn all along the stretch has made the road shoulders invisible. The site has been attracting cattle, dogs and birds who feast on the waste dumped along the stretch. The cattle that feed on the plastic waste are often found dead along the stretch leaving behind an unbearable stench, which has further worsened the situation in the area.
Due to the prevailing situation, the Antruznagar residents are forced to undergo tremendous hardship as the stench emanates from garbage dumped along the stretch. With the area turning into an eyesore, the residents have decided to patrol in order to nab the culprits involved in dumping garbage along the stretch.
The locals claim that they have caught several culprits involved in dumping garbage at the site and have even handed them over to the police. The villagers alleged that these offenders are later released after paying petty fines. They further claimed that despite written complaints to the law enforcing agencies such as police, GSPCB and health department, no action has been taken to improve the situation.
Yashwant Curtikar, a senior citizen said area since the area comes under the Curti Panchayat jurisdiction; the Antruznagar locals have been paying Rs 60 per month to the panchayat to collect garbage. Despite the panchayat collecting the garbage, the situation has aggravated due to the ongoing practice of dumping garbage along the stretch which is going on since many years. The panchayat clears the waste during the day but people take advantage during the night to dump their waste at the site.
Another resident Shankar Naik said, “We have been patrolling the area since the last two days to nab the people who dump plastic bags filled with garbage. Our area which comes under the Curti Panchayat is situated close to the Ponda municipality and the vendors from market, town and bus stand dump their waste along the stretch. Despite warnings, some people come late at night and dump their garbage. The garbage from hotels, fast food centres and omelet kiosks includes chicken waste, fish waste, leftover food, plastic, rotten vegetable and fruits are strewn in the area.
