VASCO: Sancoale panchayat members on Friday inspected a sand dump at the Meta Strips industrial plot in Sancoale.
The Panchayat inspected the plot to check on the legalities of the large dump of sand. This is the same Malaysian sand dump which is in news ever since the closure of local sand.
After the inspection, Sancoale Sarpanch Girish Pillai informed the media that the panchayat has not received any trade tax or mandatory fees for this trade at the plot.
“The businesses here don’t have any permission from the Panchayat. All are operating illegally,” Pillai said asked, “If the businesses are going to be operated in this manner in our revenue areas, then how will the panchayat generate revenue for Welfare of the Panchayat areas?”
“The company which has imported the sand and dumped it here; not bothered to pay trade tax and fees, nor taken any permission from panchayat. These businesses are illegal,” the Sarpanch said.
Former Sancoale Sarpanch Ramakant Borkar said, “Nobody knows who has brought this sand and dumped it here for doing business. They have created monopoly while Goan sand businesses have been shut down. The government is silent over this.”
He also alleged that the company responsible has used an NGO to shut down the sand businesses of Goa and created artificial scarcity for their benefits.
