PONDA: Tension prevailed at Undir over the construction of 15 MLD STP and irate locals stopped the authorities including Ponda Mamlatdar from visiting the STP site. They later met PWD Minister Nilesh Cabral over issue.
Earlier, Thursday morning the authorities including Ponda Mamlatdar, Sewerage AE Pradeep Gaude and others from the team went to the site along with police protection, JCBs and trucks and other heavy machinery.
However, locals opposed the land filling at the site and stopped the work claiming there was no proper documentation neither for land filling nor for tree cutting here.
The villagers first demanded with the Mamlatdar and Sewerage Officials to show demarcation of 109 trees that would be cut for STP as per NGT Order. They also demanded the officials furnish documents issued by the forest department for cutting of trees.
The villagers point was that in an area of 34,000 square metres land acquired for STP, there are thousands of trees located in that thick mangrove land but sewerage officials have shown that the NGT has given permission to cut only 109 trees and that too they are not demarcated.
They also said a meeting is planned with the PWD Minister following which the team arrived at Undir. They blamed Power Minister Sudin Dhavalikar for forcing the project on Undir villagers.
The locals said government including Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and PWD Minister Nilesh Cabral should visit the site and take them into confidence.
The locals also called a public meeting on September 3 and warned to approach the Supreme Court to get justice..
The villagers said the project is forced on them and they will continue to oppose it for fear of flooding during the monsoon if the STP project comes up. Further it would difficult to stay in their houses due to the stench coming out of the STP, they said.
