TEAM HERALD
SANGUEM: An iron and sponge plant in Xelpem-Uguem, Sanguem, on the verge of closure, with the company temporarily shutting down the factory since last week.
While company officials claimed that the factory has been “temporarily shut down” for being economically unviable, sources informed that activities undertaken within factory premises have indicated that the factory will not witness further operations.
On August 24, outstation workers who were working at the factory since last 5-6 years were seen packing their bags, while some were seen on their way home.
It may be recalled that ever since the company commenced its operations in the village, citizens from Sanguem had raised objections to the activities at the factory. What had also added to the concern was the fact that the factory was located in the vicinity of the Selaulim Water Treatment Plant.
Residents had also claimed that ash particles and slag from the factory premises had flowed into the nearby rivulet, while adding that the factory had virtually no benefit to the village as most of the employees were non-Goans.
A petition was also filed with the high court seeking the closure of the factory. The agitation against the company gathered momentum when Fr Octaviano D’Cunha, then parish priest of Our Lady of Miracles Church Sanguem, led a scathing attack against the company during the Sunday masses.
Fr D’Cunha even convened a general meeting with residents of Sanguem and led a mass rally from Dando to Sanguem bus stand, highlighting the adverse effects of the factory and had demanded its immediate closure.
Despite the protests, authorities had remained silent in the matter and the factory remained operational for some years, until the factory’s recent decision to temporarily shut down operations.
