Team Herald
PONDA: Water Resources Minister Vinod Palyekar along with Ponda municipality councillors and engineers and officials of the Ponda Water Resources Department inspected the Hanuman Tirth spring water lake site following complaints from the locals alleging that mud was being dumped at the site due to ongoing work of national highway four laning work.
During the site inspection the minister assured the Varkhandem locals that the government is duty bound to protect the water body and directed the officials to construct protection walls.
He then directed the Water Resources Department officials to prepare estimate for the lake beautification including construction of protection wall on all four sides so as to make it a tourist attraction.
Many water bodies in Ponda including the main nullah have been polluted due to the dumping of garbage, flow of sewage and wastewater. This spring water lake was the only water body which remained in good condition. But when over 50 percent of it was acquired for National Highway widening mud in heaps was dumped at the site which blocked the flow of spring water.
Following agitation and complaints by the locals to save the Hanuman Tirth spring water lake which is situated near Hanuman Temple just, the highway authorities excluded the lake from the widening work and were forced to adopt an alternative plan, said locals Ankush Naik and Sudesh Naik.
The locals of Varkhandem have claimed that the spring water lake is losing its glory due to ongoing highway widening work.
The locals are firm in saving the lone spring water lake in Ponda, which is used for various purposes including Ganesh idol immersions.
Varkhandem locals brought to the minister’s notice that the land filling work is going on at a rapid rate near the lake and on account of the flow of spring water has stopped. This in turn has resulted water stagnation and pollution.
To add to this, the hutment dwellers misuse the spring and truck drivers who park their trucks nearby use the spring water lake for bathing due to which the locals demanded that the authorities act in this regard to ensure that the water body is pollution-free.
