CALANGUTE: The members of Candolim panchayat recently met Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to urge him not to give permission to the Berger-Becker paint company to rebuild their factory in the Pilerne Industrial Estate.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Candolim Sarpanch Fermino Fernandes said the CM directed the Water Resources Department to flush out all the wells in Saipem ward which had become polluted after the recent fire at the Berger-Becker factory.
“Because of the pollution of the wells, people are facing shortage of water supply, and so the panchayat is providing water through tankers. We have made it clear to the CM that we do not want the Berger-Becker factory here. In the past, we had opposed the setting up of the factory because of the dangers of pollution,”said the Sarpanch.
He said they have also met Environment Minister Nilesh Cabral, GIDC Chairman Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco, the Goa State Pollution Control Board and other officials demanding that no permissions or NOCs be given to restart the factory after the near-disastrous situation caused by the massive fire on January 10.
The fire gutted an entire wing of the factory causing an estimated loss of Rs 60-cr. CM Sawant described it as the biggest fire disaster in the history of Goa. Residents were also made to evacuate from their houses on the night of the fire because of the possibility of toxic fumes in the air. With the clearing of the debris going on, occasional plumes of smoke and gas continue to emit from the site, and the acrid smell of burnt paint still hangs in the air, according to residents.