MARGAO
Aggrieved villagers of Loutolim have demanded that local MLA Wilfred D’Sa approach the authorities concerned to initiate action against the culprits and clear the garbage dump in the village immediately.
Saying that the garbage dump poses a health hazard to the villagers, they said they will be left with no option but to approach the courts of law.
A villager Ramiro Mascarenhas said a number of garbage dumps have been unearthed at various places in recent times in the jurisdiction of Loutolim village panchayat.
“Recently on February 8, the Nuvem MLA Wilfred D’Sa along with Loutolim sarpanch Tony Vaz discovered a new dump at an unused stone quarry in Rassaim, Loutolim. In mid-January, a midnight operation by some constituents of Nuvem had helped to catch red-handed a loaded Tata Mobile and a Maruti van with mixed garbage when they were about to dump waste at another location in Loutolim jurisdiction,” Ramiro said.
He said it is shocking that the MLA, who rushed to the site after being called by locals at midnight, has failed to get an FIR registered against the accused contractor, the registered owner of the vehicles even when the arrested labourers had given a statement at the site disclosing the name of the garbage contractor.
Saying that the proactive sarpanch of Loutolim Tony Vaz in a recent statement has suspected the involvement of a minister in this garbage dumping operation, he, however, said the Sarpanch fell short of naming the minister who is the colleague of MLA D’Sa in the present dispensation.
“It has been found that the garbage being dumped in Loutolim jurisdiction is from Mormugao taluka which is being represented by BJP MLAs. Further, the villagers are at a loss to understand while the BJP local MLA has been proactive whenever he has been called. It is also questionable why his colleagues from Mormugao taluka cannot uphold the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan Mission launched by PM Narendra Modi,” the villagers questioned.
Panchayat Minister takes review of various areas around the railway tracks in Dabolim Constituency
