the goan I network
MARGAO
Agitated Colva villagers on Friday stopped road digging by the Sewerage Corporation in the village, demanding to know how road digging activity could continue when district Collector’s order banning all road digging has come into force from May 15.
The villagers also demanded to know how the road digging activity was continuing when the Colva village panchayat had already issued stop work order cum show cause notice on the Sewerage Corporation and other authorities a week ago.
A large group of villagers were seen engaged in a heated exchange with a representative of the sewage contractor, questioning him over the ongoing work when the Collector’s order banning all road digging in the district has already come into force from May 15.
The contractor’s representative told the villagers that he was only trying to complete the work on the main road before the onset of monsoons. With the villagers not ready to relent and demanding immediate withdrawal of the heavy road digging machinery, all machinery from the road was later withdrawn and the same parked at a distance away from the site.
A villager Herald Fernandes told The Goan that the villagers have brought to the notice of the contractor that he cannot continue with the ongoing work with the Collector’s order bringing to a complete halt all road digging works in the district. He said the villagers had gone to the Colva police for assistance with the contractor continuing the work in violation of the Collector’s order, while questioning the efficacy of the stop work order issued by the panchayat to the contractor to stop all work on the project.
Another resident Thomas Rodrigues pointed out that the villagers decided to hit the roads since the Collector’s order was being violated with impunity.
Thomas pointed out that the Colva villagers will never accept the sewage treatment plant if the treated sewage will be released in the Arabian Sea, asserting that this move will only destroy tourism in the tourist village.
