MARGAO
Six more commercial establishments, mostly hotels and a bar and restaurant were sealed and closed, taking the total number of establishments sealed in the last two days in the commercial capital for lack of consent to operate of the Goa State Pollution Control Board to 21.
The fate of the remaining 25 commercial establishments, which were issued closure notices by the GSPCB, hangs in balance as the sealing operation has been put on temporary hold on Tuesday.
For, while reports have started doing the rounds that those who pulled the right strings have saved their establishments from being sealed by the GSPCB, Salcete Mamlatdar Vimod Dalal, however, has begged to differ.
He pointed out that there are many amongst the remaining 25 establishments which have applied to the GSPCB for the consent to operate and their applications have been pending with the GSPCB. “Since most of the remaining establishments have applied to the GSPCB for consent to operate, the drive against sealing the commercial establishments have been kept on hold for the moment,” he said.
“We have sealed and closed down the business establishments which did not respond to the GSPCB notices to apply for the consent to operate. Those establishments which have applied for consent to operate will be given some time to obtain the certificates from the Pollution Control Board,” he added.
The Salcete Mamlatdar reminded that the GSPCB has initiated an exercise in the South Goa district Collectorate to facilitate the business establishments to apply for consent to operate, but many a business establishment, including those sealed in the last two days, did not avail the facility. “We are not here to harass anybody from doing business. When some of the establishments have applied for consent to operate, it is not proper to seal the premises,” he added.
Sources, however, informed that some of the business establishments managed to pull the right political strings and got temporary relief when their premises were left out of the drive to seal the establishments.
The GSPCB through the Salcete mamlatdar had initiated the drive against the 46 commercial establishments as per the directions of the High Court in the Salpem lake contamination Public Interest Litigation filed by Navelim citizen Prof Antonio Alvares.
GSPCB summary of report of the 46 units in Margao
- 15 units beef/ chicken centre shops: 03 units granted consent to operate of the Board, 01 unit applied for CTO, 01 unit sealed, 10 units have not applied
- 11 gold smith shops: All 11 have not applied for CTO
- 16 restaurants shops: 01 unit granted CTO, 01 unit changed business, 01 unit broke the seal, 13 units have not applied for CTO
- 01 washing centre has not applied for consent to operate of the Board
- 03 sweet mart shops: 02 units have not applied for consent to operate of the Board, 01 unit does not require consent of the Board
