With time, Usgao has become synonymous withpollution, traffic jams and accidents caused by the movement of tipperstransporting mineral ore in the area. With around 98% of the village populationbeing employed in the mining sector, the solution to the problem is quitecomplicated. Reshak Gaonkar, a resident of Usgao says, “Most people think weare against mining, but that is not true. We are against the movement oftippers, which causes pollution, damaged roads and accidents. The list isendless.”
Devanand Nanusker, the Sarpanch ofUsgao-Ganjem Village Panchayat feels that the tippers cannot be blamed forevery problem in the village. He says, “The accidents are not caused onlybecause of mining tippers. The accidents happen because of narrow roads. Peopledrive carelessly and cause accidents. That is why we have been demanding aseparate road dedicated only for the movement of these tippers. We havefollowed up with the government with regard to construction of a separate roadbut we haven’t received any response yet.”
The heavy traffic of tippers on the Usgaohighway has also deteriorated the condition of roads in the area. Gaonkar adds,“The roads get damaged within months of being constructed. The residents haveto make do with terrible roads all year long.” When quizzed about this issue,Nanusker avoided commenting saying that the construction of roads was theresponsibility of the government and the onus of the work was on the contractor.He said “I cannot comment on why the roads get damaged.”
Being the main road for the transportationof mineral ore, the Usgao village has been facing a major problem of pollution.Shreya Gaunkar, a resident of Ganjem says” Our faces and our vehicle are red in colour after a visit to Usgoa ”. Howeverthe sarpanch, Nausker, feels the problem of pollution is under control, followinga reduction in the carrying capacity for tippers to 10 tons and it being coveredby tarpaulin.
Ulhas Gaude, President of the Truck OwnersAssociation, Usgao feels he has a solution. According to him, the authoritiesshould keep a tab on the number of trucks owned by an individual. He also feelsthat in the absence of time restriction for the movement of these tippers, themovement was in perfect sync. But now, with time restriction being introduced,there is a rush which causes accidents.
Gaude finds another solution in the timingsdedicated to the movement of mining tippers. He says, “The transport of tippersshould be allowed post seven in the evening till six in the morning. We hadsuggested this solution to the authorities but it went unheard.”
The problems are many and so are thesolutions. While the residents of Usgao are the ones facing the issues, the panchayatseems to be underestimating its capabilities and relying on the Governmentauthorities to find the solutions.
