TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: Asserting that the responsibility of cracking a whip against unscrupulous establishments discharging sewage in the open rests with the Panchayat bodies, Benaulim MLA Caitu Silva on Sunday said the government has plans to set up two sewerage treatment plants to take care of the sewage problem plaguing Salcete’s coastal belt.
“The government has proposed to set up one sewage plant for the villages of Colva, Benaulim and Seraulim and another plant to take care of sewage of the villages of Cavelossim, Varca and Orlim and Carmona”, Caitu told media persons on the sidelines of the opening of the Santhigir Ashram’s Ayurveda centre at Colva on Sunday.
He pointed out that the government has initiated land acquisition proceedings to set up the Sewerage Treatment Plants, lamenting that people were not willing to part with their land for the proposed project. “Nobody is ready to give a piece of land to house the STPs. The land acquisition proceedings consumes times”, he said.
Admitting that Salcete’s Coastal belt is already late in having a sewerage network, the Benualim MLA said ‘We are late, but we can start somewhere. The project may take some time to materialise, but it will benefit our children”.
When media persons drew his attention to the rampant discharge of sewage by hotels and establishments in drains and water bodies, Caitu said the village Panchayats are primarily responsible to take care of the problem. “People are just blaming the MLAs. Why are the Panchayats there in the first place. If MLAs are required to look after who is discharging sewage and where, a question may be raised over the requirement of Panchayat bodies. The Panchaayts have to issue notices on the erring establishments. They have to write to the Goa state pollution Control board. The Panchayats have to do their homework. People only blame the Ministers and MLAs when certain works fall in the domain of the Panchayats”, he added.
