MARGAO: Quelossim villagers on Thursday threatened to agitate on the roads if their complaints about waste being dumped and burned near the Verna Industrial Estate are not looked into immediately.
Villagers in large numbers were gathered on the Quelossim Comunidade land, where the waste is being dumped by unknown persons.
“All types of waste are being dumped here. Plastics, insulators of air conditioners, ceramics, wash basins, commodes etc. The biggest problem is the pollution caused after this waste is burned from where toxic fumes are released. Our senior citizens and young children are already getting affected and falling sick,” a villager Rajesh said.
He said, “Asbestos are also being burned and this releases fine particles in the air which is hazardous to health and could cause cancer.”
“We are sure this is being done illegally as the waste is dumped and burned close to midnight and till early morning, usually between 11 pm and 5 am. It’s done in the dark when no one can see. However the smoke goes on continuously for days,” the other villagers complained.
The villagers stated that they had filed a complaint before the village panchayat but no action had been taken. They further called upon the authorities including the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) to conduct an inquiry and take action immediately.
Cortalim Zilla Panchayat member Anton Vaz was present for the protest and called upon the Quelossim Panchayat and Quelossim Comunidade Committee to conduct an inspection and address the issue in the interest of the public.
A former Quelossim sarpanch who was also there recalled that two years ago there was a similar issue where the fire brigade had to be called as the fire had gone out of control.
The villagers said at that time they had approached the police and the company concerned was contacted and the matter had been resolved and the dumping and burning of waste had been stopped.
