VASCO: It appears that the migrants who were removed by the taluka administration last week following a Herald report and have sprung up again and at the same site have actually started playing hide and seek game with the South Goa administration.
This was felt after the officials of the taluka administration visited the site on Friday and found no one at the site; however, before the officials could leave the site, they were surprised to note that these 120-odd migrants have actually used a trench to hide their household items and other materials used for the construction of shanties.
As planned, Deputy Collector Mormugao (additional charge) Arvind Khutkar, Mormugao Mamlatdar Satish Prabhu and other junior officers visited the site to ascertain whether these migrants have sprung up again and at same site, on Friday.
After visiting the site, Khutkar was pretty convinced that prompt action and warning by the police possibly forced the migrants to vacate the land under flight path. Team Herald was present at the site when Khutkar and team had come down for inspection. Interestingly, the inspection team was pretty convinced that they were able to put an end to the migrants menace from the flight path. But before they could leave the place with positive energy, the Herald reporter discovered the trench where these migrants were hiding their belongings.
“Subsequent to their removal from the area, the collector instructed us to keep a vigil so that the migrants don’t come back and resettle here. But, what is seen today is that they have kept some things close to the site and it is understood that they come back only during evening hours. Now, I have asked the police to keep a vigil to ensure that they don’t come back again,” Khutkar said.
When asked whether they would completely clear the area considering that the migrants are reluctant to leave the place and are trying to trick the authorities into believing that they have vacated the place, Khutkar said, “We will discuss this issue, let us see the results. I will definitely speak to some authorities including the local panchayat.”
When asked what kind of threat these migrants having their shanties under flight path can pose, the deputy collector said that he had discussed the issue with the airport authorities who, presently, have no serious concerns over the shanties. “However, garbage generated by the migrants could lead to bird hits, as such, we will take all measures to eliminate this menace,” he said.
