CURCHOREM: The South Goa Collector has issued a stop work notice following O Heraldo’s report on the land filling of Xeldem Lake. The decision comes after a site inspection was conducted by a flying squad in response to local complaints about the ongoing land filling activities. It is worth noting that Xeldem Lake has been designated as a wetland by an order from the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which was notified on June 2.
The flying squad, upon receiving complaints from concerned locals, visited the site to investigate the land filling activities at Xeldem Lake. As a result of the inspection, the Deputy Collector of South Goa issued a stop work order, specifically for Survey No. 50, where the land filling was taking place.
The authorities discovered violations of the law during their inspection, including the absence of a sign board displaying permission obtained from the Town and Country Planning (TCP) department for the land filling. The violators have been charged under Section 17(A) of the TCP Act, 1974. The Mamlatdar of Quepem and the Quepem police have been directed to visit the site and halt the illegal land filling as per the order.
Earlier, locals became aware of the land filling activities at Xeldem Lake and discovered that a tower was being constructed within the lake. Enquiries with the workers at the site revealed that the construction would further damage the lake.
The massive land filling, carried out with the use of heavy machinery, has already caused significant harm to the water body, which is classified as a wetland. Concerned villagers contacted the flying squad to conduct an inspection of the site. The flying squad, accompanied by locals, assessed the land filling activities.
The information gathered from the villagers indicated that the site was intended for the construction of high-tension line towers.
Aditya Dessai, who filed the complaint, expressed gratitude to the Deputy Collector of South Goa-1 for issuing the stop work order.
“If we do not protect our water bodies, we will run into water crises in the future. The government should ensure real time monitoring of water bodies,” said Dessai.
