VASCO
Tensions ran high at the Chicalim Gram Sabha on Sunday as residents protested over long-pending sewerage problems and demanded a halt to new development until the issues are resolved. They urged the panchayat not to issue any further construction licences until the sewerage infrastructure is put in place.
Deputy Sarpanch Aishwarya Korgaonkar said sewerage lines were in place in her ward and there were no reported problems. She suggested that the absence of lines in other areas could be due to a lack of follow-up by the respective panch members.
Korgaonkar also attributed delays in resolving the crisis to public opposition to proposed sites for the infrastructure. She said the Sewerage Corporation, the panchayat and Minister Mauvin Godinho had identified a suitable site, along with three alternatives in Dabolim, but residents had objected to each proposal, hampering the work.
Responding to the residents’ demands, Sarpanch Kamla Prasad Yadav assured the meeting that letters would be sent to the Sewerage Corporation, the Goa State Pollution Control Board and Godinho, urging them to address the sewerage problems on priority.
The meeting also saw a heated discussion over the recent inauguration of the Mahila Bhavan, with residents questioning why the sarpanch had not been invited to the event.
Yadav confirmed that he was excluded from the inauguration, conducted by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Godinho. He expressed disappointment over being left out of a public project event in his jurisdiction, saying the omission had hurt his sentiments and those of villagers.
He added that excluding local elected representatives from such events set a wrong precedent for governance and protocol.
