MARGAO: Residents of Sirvodem have objected to having a burial ground on the banks of River Sal at Harelem in Sirvodem on grounds that it would create pollution as the area is catchment area that is low lying and gets flooded every monsoon.
Xavier Fernandes, who is spearheading the movement, pointed out that they have been struggling against filling up that low lying field since 2008 when attempts were made to develop plots there. Incidentally, the area was first filled up with the silt of River Sal when it was desilted when Avertano Furtado was a minister.
Subsequently, in September 2016 as the filled up area was divided into plots admeasuring 100 to 150 sq mts the Shadow Council for Margao lodged a complaint and the matter was dropped and it was only after this that the Margao Municipal Council decided to acquire the area admeasuring 15,165 sq mts for multipurpose utilities.
Terming the MMC resolution as a big scam, Xavier Fernandes said it was ironical that only 1,050 sq mts of the land is in Margao city while the rest is in Navelim panchayat which has objected to filling up land in their village.
A memorandum signed by over 1000 residents of the area has been submitted to the Chief Secretary who have objected to the burial ground being set up in a low lying area and expressed fears that the burial ground would end up polluting the River Sal which is already contaminated.
“We are not objecting to the burial ground but we are objecting to the location as it will be an ecological hazard if bodies are buried in area that gets flooded during the monsoons,” Fernandes said. Incidentally, he was accompanied by Jose Santa Rita Coelho panchayat member of Navelim.
