MARGAO: The owners of shops and restaurants in Margao are pushing back against the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) after their establishments were sealed or received notices for environmental violations. They blame the Sewerage Department for failing to provide necessary sewage connections.
As the sealing drive began, some hotel owners approached the Collector, explaining their inability to obtain the necessary consent due to the incomplete sewerage infrastructure. They argued that the GSPCB would not issue the required consents without these connections, which were still under construction.
Some affected owners mentioned that they had already initiated the process of obtaining a sewerage connection, as the work of laying the underground sewage pipeline was nearing completion. They criticised the authorities for sealing their businesses despite ongoing efforts to secure a connection, pointing out that the underground sewerage line had only recently been laid. They argued that the GSPCB’s actions were unfair, as the authorities should have first established the necessary infrastructure for the hotels to obtain the connections.
It may be recalled that on Tuesday, the GSPCB, assisted by a team led by Salcete Mamlatdar, sealed hotels and restaurants discharging wastewater into drains. This crackdown also targeted those businesses operating without the mandatory consents required under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.
GSPCB Member Secretary Dr Shamila Monteiro emphasised in the show cause notices that operating without valid consent is a severe violation of environmental laws. This enforcement action was prompted by a PIL from Navelim villager Antonio Alvares, who highlighted the rampant discharge of sewage and wastewater contaminating Salpem Lake and polluting the River Sal. Subsequent to that, MMC had identified over 200 establishments in the town lacking proper sewage connections.
