TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: Land filling at Kharelem-Khareband just 50 meters away from River Sal triggered uproar on Sunday with agitated residents not only stopping the activity, but setting an eight-day deadline for the contractor to lift the debris from the low lying site.
What agitated the residents was the audacity of the contractor to dump the debris when the Khareband-Benaulim belt was submerged under water just a day ago following incessant rains.
They pointed out that the authorities, including the District Collector and Town and Country Planning department have all turned a blind eye to the illegal land filling in the low lying area.
Xavier Fernandes demanded that the police find out from the contractor the party behind the land filling activity, saying that flooding of the Kharelem-Khareband is because of the illegal land filling. “We are shocked and surprised that none of the authorities have probed into the land filling all these years. That only showed that the authorities are either hand in gloves with the party or have turned a blind eye to the illegality,” he said, while demanding that the authorities get their act together and restore the land to its original condition.
Another resident said that land filling has been going on at the site for quite some time, but the authorities ignored the complaints for reasons best known to them. “In 2008, the Margao police station had written a letter to the Town and Country Planning department to inspect the site, but in vain,” he said.
The Margao police rushed to the spot to avert any law and order problem, even as the residents set an eight-day deadline for the contractor to lift away the debris from the site.
