MARGAO
Prominent citizens of Margao on Sunday warned the authorities, including the Water Resources Department, over the strong possibility of flooding due to the excavation carried out by the WRD for the construction of a branch nullah near the ESI hospital.
The citizens pointed out that the walls of the existing nullah have been exposed by the ongoing work and will most certainly collapse due to the storm water pressure, thereby flooding and destroying everything that comes along the way.
Prominent citizens Arch Carlos Gracias, Prof Kondli, Adv Snehal Onskar, writer Rajeshree Nagarsekar, retired Panchayat Secretary Agnelo Serrao, Nelita Coelho, Zabir Shaik, Nazario Fernandes, Iftiyaz Shaik, Nitin Prabhu, Jayesh Kane, Camilo Camara, Domnic Coutinho, Ashok Shivolkar, Damodar Onskar, Jason Cardozo, Bartolomeo Pinto, Maria Rodrigues, Olympio Fernandes, besides members of the Shadow Council for Margao descended behind the ESI hospital on Sunday morning.
They told the media that the walls of the existing nullah are not designed to retain the water pressure during heavy flow.
SCM convenor Savio Coutinho explained that the citizens have apprehensions that the work which the SCM has already exposed as a scam in December last has been left in the present status so that the existing nullah should breach and break open, so as to give an opportunity to fulfil the dubious need of some vested interests.
“We wish to very categorically state that the Water Resources Department shall be solely responsible for any form of destruction or losses caused by their criminal negligence,” Coutinho warned.
It was further revealed that they have filed written complaints to the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, WRD Minister Subash Shirodkar and the Executive Engineer of WRD Div III, and alleged that some strong forces are behind this scam.
“The sole purpose of inviting prominent citizens from Margao to this site was to give them a better understanding of this issue, and how public funds are misused,” Coutinho said.
He added: “Through the media reports we hear of crores and crores of rupees being spent on development works in Margao, but we can hardly see Margao developing in the true sense. This is the type of personal development that happens in Margao.”
It may be recalled that on the eve of Christmas on 24th December 2021, the Shadow Council for Margao had complained over the illegal felling of 30 trees. The trees were cut in order to make way for the shifting of the nullah to facilitate real estate development, Coutinho charged. “Why should Rs 81 lakh from the public exchequer be spent to benefit someone’s private agenda? questioned SCM.
