MAPUSA
Calangute MLA Michael Lobo on Monday said the Berger Becker’s paint factory which caught fire at the Pilerne Industrial Estate was hazardous and demanded its relocation, even as panchayat members of Candolim and Pilerne met Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and made a similar demand.
A representation made by the Saipem villagers with more than 500 signatures demanding the shifting of the paint factory was also handed over to the CM.
“The paint company stores thousands of litres of turpentine, an inflammable product, in the basement, which can catch fire anytime. It is hazardous and falls within the vicinity of Candolim and Pilerne villages. There is a risk to people staying in these villages. The factory needs to be relocated away from human habitation,” Lobo said.
“The wells in the village are already polluted and due to the topography of Saipem, the locals do not get PWD pipeline water. We need to act fast,” he added.
He said the people did not want the company to restart operations at the current site and were positive that the CM would find an amicable solution to the matter.
The panchas of Candolim and Pilerne along with Reis Magos Zilla Panchayat member Sandeep Bandodkar and Saligao MLA Kedar Naik also met the Chief Minister and demanded that the Berger Becker paint company be shifted from the present site.
“We met the CM and handed him a representation with more than 500 signatures of Saipem villagers demanding relocation of the industry away from the present site. Fetching portable water is also an arduous task as almost all our wells have been contaminated and pipeline water has no pressure,” said Fermino Fernandes, Candolim Sarpanch.
According to Reis Magos Zilla Panchayat member Sandeep Bandodkar, the major fire that engulfed the paint factory on January 10 has unsettled the villagers and the heavy chemical-like smell created panic among them.
“People were scared and left their homes that particular night and came back only two days later. This is just a fire and something worse can happen and therefore, we came with a representation to the CM demanding that we don’t want such a factory close to our villages and it be relocated somewhere else,” Bandodkar said.
He said the CM has assured them that he will study the whole issue and then take a decision.
As reported in The Goan on Sunday, the villagers of Saipem complained how days after the fire incident the water in a couple of wells had turned darkish in colour and gave a nail-polish-like smell.
The locals who were visibly upset recalled how some of the residents had to evacuate themselves on the night of the fire incident and demanded that the paint company be relocated to avoid such disasters in the village.
