Team Herald
CANACONA: Representatives of the villages bordering the Kulti plateau submitted a petition signed by over 400 villagers to the Canacona deputy collector on Friday seeking his intervention to permanently close down the pollution causing ready mixed concrete and hot-mix batching plants on the eco sensitive Kulti plateau.
The villagers of Poinguinim, who have been struggling for long to stop the polluting industrial activities at Kulti plateau in Canacona taluka, submitted a petition to the deputy collector on Friday to forthwith order the closure of the two industrial plants and restore the plateau considered sacred to the people living around the periphery of this eco-sensitive zone otherwise face agitation, it stated.
The petition demands discontinuance of highly polluting commercial activities that deteriorate the health of people, endanger their lives as well as destroy the flora and fauna on the entire plateau.
The representatives of the forum named ‘Fight to Save Kulti Plateau’ told Herald that the petition was attached with memorandums submitted previously, as the deputy collector has taken up his posting recently.
“It is with utter shock, pain and grief that we the villagers of Poinguinim are once again bringing to the attention of your office the illegal and highly polluting existence of a hot mix, batching plant, ready mixed concrete plant and labourers living quarters at the most eco-sensitive Kulti plateau. All this activities are adding to different types of pollution on the said plateau. It is sad that all our earlier letters/representations to various departments including yours have fallen on deaf ears and are not acted upon,” the memorandum reads as.
“Due to inaction, the aggrieved villagers of Sadolxem, Muthal, Talpona, Galgibaga, Mhagdal, Catebag, Mahalwada in Poinguinim Panchayat have come together and formed an action group named ‘Fight to Save Kulti Plateau’,” a villager said.
“We have most peacefully and democratically placed all facts related to our demand before the Canacona deputy collector: an appeal for the last time to issue orders to stop all operations on this sacred and most eco sensitive plateau; direct the owners to restore the plateau to its original state,” an affected villager from Galgibaga Diogo Da Silva said.
“If the authorities fail to put an end to the highly polluting activities on Kulti plateau, we are going to explore all courses available at our disposal as the residents of the affected villages are determined to stop all the illegal and highly polluting industries operating on Kulti plateau,” a Talpona resident Pradeep Mokhardkar said.
“Now as told to the deputy collector through our petition of which copies are marked to be sent to South Goa collector, Chief Secretary and Governor to Goa, we will not be responsible for any law and order problem arising out of delayed or non action in this matter people are agitated,” warned villagers.
