MARGAO
Even as the Sewerage & Infrastructure Development Corporation of Goa has maintained that the High Court has not ordered a stop to the ongoing work of laying a pipeline for carrying treated sewage water in Benaulim, the Benaulim Panchayat on Wednesday once again told the contractor to stop the work.
Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas also descended on the site after local residents of Pedda-Benaulim assembled on Wednesday evening after the contractor resumed the work.
Given that the district authorities have not responded to the plea of the villagers and the panchayat to stop the road digging work in the village, local Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas, representatives of the Benaulim Panchayat and the residents have decided to knock on the doors of the Revenue Minister Atanasio Monserrate for his intervention.
Incidentally, while the High Court heard the petition filed by the Benaulim villagers on Wednesday morning, Benaulim deputy Sarpanch Nilesh Prabhhudesai descended on the work site to direct the contractor to stop all ongoing work carried out by the Sewerage Corporation.
The Benaulim Deputy Sarpanch argued that since the panchayat had issued a stop-work order to the Sewerage Corporation on Tuesday, the work has continued, but without even filing a reply to the order or challenging the same before a competent authority.
In fact, Nilesh demanded from the contractor get an order or direction from a competent authority permitting the Corporation to resume the work against the stop-work order issued by the panchayat.
“Has the stop-work order issued by the panchayat set aside by a competent authority or by the court? If yes, the Corporation should produce the order from the competent court. If not, the work should not resume,” he told the Contractor.
He requested the contractor to obtain written directions from a competent authority and not just oral instructions from the Corporation engineers. “The contractor cannot resume the work with oral instructions”, he added.
Meanwhile, the Benaulim MLA said the villagers and the panchayat have come to the site since the Corporation is required to seek permission from the Panchayat to dig the roads. “I am sad to state that despite the second stop-work order, the contractor is going ahead with the line laying work. People of Benaulim are concerned about the line since they are of the strong opinion that the treated sewage water should not be discharged into the river Sal,” Venzy added.
He added: “Since the district authorities have not paid heed to the concerns raised by the villagers, a delegation will knock on the doors of the Revenue Minister seeking his intervention in the matter”.
Sewerage & Infrastructure Development Corporation of Goa officials, however, told The Goan that since the High Court has not given any stay in the matter, the contractor appointed by the Corporation will not stop work of laying the pipeline.
