MARGAO
The scheduled inspection of the Ramnagari housing colony in Sao Jose de Areal village, which had come under the scanner of the locals over the discharge of sewage waters, was called off for want of the representative of the Collector, leaving the residents fuming.
As officials representing the PWD, Sewerage, Electricity and Health department decided to call off the inspection after the representative of the District Collector played truant, the locals led by Ashok Khandeparkar accused the officials of playing with the sentiments of Areal villagers.
“We have been demanding a stop to the discharge of sewage from the Ramnagiri colony since 2001. To date, the colony is not connected to the sewerage line. We have been only been given assurances to resolve the issues, but they have all turned into empty promises,” he said.
When the sewerage officials sought to point out that the sewerage connections to the colony would be issued only after the installation of an electric transformer, Khandeparkar demanded to know when exactly the officials had drawn up plans to channelize the sewerage from the colony into the underground line.
“Give us concrete deadlines when sewage from the housing colony will stop flowing into our fields, which have been devastated over the last two decades. Our patience is running out,” he said, pointing out that the failure of the Collector’s representative to attend the inspection shows the intention of the government to resolve the issue.
