MARGAO
Will the Fisheries Director and the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC) intervene and make the contractor to clear the construction material dumped on the Mobor beach for the purpose of building a training wall at the mouth of River river Sal?
The Goan had a fortnight ago highlighted the fears expressed by the local fishing community as well as the local residents of Mobor-Cavelossim to the impending environmental disaster at the river Sal if the construction material is not cleared from the beach before the onset of monsoons. It is feared that the construction material will flow into the river and choke the river mouth, further aggravating the problem of navigation faced by the local fishermen.
When The Goan called up Fisheries Director Dr Shamila Monteiro to shed light on the issue of the river mouth being blocked by the construction material, she said the department has allotted the work on the project to the GSIDC for execution. “The work was supposed to be constructed in April, but was delayed after the GCZMA issued a stop work order. The GCZMA has since given the green signal for the construction of a temporary road on the beach, but the contractor must not have commenced work on the training wall in view the fast approaching monsoons,” she said.
GSIDC officials were not available for comment on Sunday, but a senior official of the company that has bagged the work of constructing a training wall has promised to get the material lifted from the site within a week.
A senior managerial official employed with the contractor told The Goan on Sunday that the construction material, if not lifted from the beach, may cause havoc in the river Sal navigation
channel during the rains. “Hence, we have decided to lift away the material dumped on the beach to higher ground and ensure that the material does not find its way into the river during the rains,” the senior official told The Goan.
The official pointed out that it may take a week’s time to clear the material from the beach, assuring
that the material will be towed away to a safe location within the time frame. “We had started the work with the help of around 15 labourers. But, it has been observed that unless heavy machinery is deployed at the site, the ground reality may not change,” the official said.
A local resident Roy Barretto, however, said that time is running out for the Fisheries department, GSIDC and the contractor given the fast approaching monsoon. “The contractor had promised to take up the work, but the ground reality remains unchanged. Hope the contractor and the GSIDC and Fisheries Director takes up the work on a war footing and prevent an disaster,”
Roy said.
