MARGAO
Cuncolim Municipal Chairperson Landry Mascarenhas has on Friday sounded the bugle against the controversial fish meal plant, saying the civic body will not only reject the construction permission for the plant, but the elected representatives will hit the streets along with Cuncolkars to oppose the fish meal plant tooth and nail.
He told the media that the special meeting of the Cuncolim Municipal Council has been convened on September 9 specifically to reject the file seeking permission for the construction of shed to set up the fish meal plant. “This Council backed by the Leader of Opposition and Cuncolim MLA Yuri Alemao will not succumb to any pressure to approve the file. The ruling body has already decided to reject the file at the special meeting. If the fish meal plant continues to go ahead with the project with influence, we will all get down on the streets to oppose the plant,” he warned.
Sending a clear warning to the promoters of the fish meal plant not to play with the sentiments of Cuncolkars, the Cuncolim civic chief said the people of Cuncolim have suffered pollution from the Cuncolim Industrial Estate. “Enough is enough and I hope that better sense will prevail and the promoters will withdraw the project. If not, the promoters will have to face the wrath of the people of Cuncolim,” he further warned.
Quoting health statistics suggesting rise in number of pollution related diseases amongst the people of Cuncolim, Landry said, “The elected representatives are being questioned by the people whether we are getting the second fish meal plant to kill them with these polluting projects. There’s no way the Cuncolim Municipal Council will give approval for the project.”
In this respect, the civic chief said the Town and Country Planning (TCP) department should think twice before giving approval for controversial projects. “If the fish meal plant was initially proposed in Quepem taluka, why the controversial plant is now sought to be imposed on the people of Cuncolim. Let someone explain why the project has been moved from Quepem to Cuncolim and the reasons why the government has granted approval for the location change,” he demanded to know.
He warned: “If any attempt is being made to bulldoze with the fish meal plant, we will not keep quite. We may go for the shut down as a mark of protest.”
Saying that a number of scrapyards are operating in the town, the Cuncolim civic chief has said that the CMC Chief Officer has been requested to issue notices to the scrapyards.
