PONDA: Water Resources Department Minister Subash Shirodkar assured the Dharbandora villagers that the cause of the Dudhsagar River pollution would be probed into and added that a committee headed by a Mamlatdar, local sarpanchas and an Engineer from the WRD has been directed to submit a report by 31 October.

As Shirodkar was addressing the grievances of the villagers, locals told the minister that they suspected that some firms were discharging mining slurry into the river which was the cause of the water turning muddy and added that they refused to buy the theory of WRD Engineers who claimed that the muddy water was flowing from the Ghats due to heavy rains or landslides.

The Minister then directed the officials to conduct a site inspection of the river and submit a report within fifteen days to his office.

The locals were fuming at the officials as they were forced to drink the same polluted water which was treated at the OPA Treatment Plant and supplied to Ponda and Tiswadi and had even threatened to block the road due to the frequent flow of muddy water through their taps.

As the minister pacified the locals and said that the muddy water mystery would be solved, the villagers decided to postpone their agitation.

A committee of Kale, Kirlapal, Dabal and Dharbadoda panchayat sarpanchas has been selected along with taluka Mamatdar Laxmikant Kuttikar to find out the source of the muddy water. South Goa Executive Engineer of Water Resources Department Ankush Gawkar has also been included in the committee.