Object to industrial slag for road construction
TEAM HERALD
[email protected]
MARGAO: A day after the gram sabha called for a stoppage of all work on the Nuvem bypass, villagers on Monday stopped work on covering the industrial slag dumped in the fields for the proposed bypass on grounds that experts have not yet certified that slag can be used for road construction.
PWD officials immediately brought the matter to the notice of the District Collector, who despatched policemen at the site as a precautionary measure. The contractor has warned that he would be forced to claim compensation since frequent stoppage of the work has adversely affected the overall work on the site.
Activist Jose Roque Andrade told the media that the villagers have stopped the work based on the gram sabha resolution, which had called upon the authorities to stop the ongoing work till the chemical analysis of the slag shows it is not harmful. “Today, the villagers found the contractor covering the industrial slag with mud. Our contention is that it should not be covered till the chemical analysis report gives the go-ahead signal. Moroever, the PWD has not shown us the NOCs and the Environment Impact Assessment report. They have to retain all the waterways along the stretch with pipes and culverts,” Andrade demanded.
He pointed that the villagers had demanded specification of the materials used in the road embankment, while demanding that the authorities make available analysis report from recognised laboratories.
Replying to a question, he said the government has not taken cognisance of the demands of the villagers for flyovers at the road crossings at the main road and at Rumder.
Meanwhile, contractor Cleofacio Dias has told the PWD that he would be forced to claim compensation saying that frequent stoppage of work at the Nuvem bypass has caused him a loss.
