THE GOAN NETWORK
VALPOI
Illegal laterite stone quarrying continues unabated across Sattari taluka despite the ongoing monsoon, raising serious concerns over public safety and environmental degradation.
With heavy rains filling deep excavation pits with water, residents fear that these abandoned quarries could become death traps, prompting renewed demands for immediate intervention by the authorities.
Citizens have urged the Sattari Deputy Collector, Mamlatdar, Police and the Directorate of Mines and Geology to take urgent action to shut down all illegal laterite quarries operating in the taluka.
According to local sources, illegal quarrying is being carried out at several locations in Sattari, causing extensive environmental damage. Residents and environmental activists allege that the unchecked extraction is destroying forest areas, damaging hills, affecting natural water sources and posing a serious threat to biodiversity.
The issue has repeatedly been raised in Gram Sabha meetings, and several village panchayats have already demanded strict action from the authorities.
However, locals claim that despite repeated complaints, illegal quarrying continues without effective enforcement, leading to growing public resentment.
Illegal laterite quarries are reportedly operating in areas under Khotoda, Guleli, Bhironda, Nagargaon, Savarde and other village panchayats.
Although the Directorate of Mines and Geology has conducted raids in the past, seized machinery, registered offences and shut down several illegal quarries, residents allege that many resume operations within a few days.
This has led to questions about whether those involved in the illegal activity are receiving protection from influential quarters.
Several drowning incidents have occurred in Goa over the years after people accidentally entered water-filled quarry pits during the monsoon. Residents warn that similar tragedies could occur in Sattari unless preventive measures are taken immediately.
Although the government had earlier directed that abandoned quarry pits be secured with protective fencing, many such sites remain completely exposed.
With continuous rainfall, several pits are now entirely submerged, making it impossible to judge their depth and increasing the risk of fatal accidents involving both people and livestock.
Locals have also alleged that quarry operators have changed their working pattern to evade enforcement.
Instead of operating during the day, excavation is reportedly carried out after around 6 pm and continues throughout the night until early morning, while operations remain suspended during daylight hours to avoid inspections.
Over the past few years, the Directorate of Mines and Geology has conducted several raids, registered criminal cases and imposed fines worth crores of rupees on illegal quarry operators.
However, many of these cases are still pending before the courts, and a substantial portion of the penalties has reportedly not yet been recovered. Citizens also allege that some individuals who were previously penalised have resumed illegal quarrying activities.
They have urged the government to impose a permanent ban on illegal laterite quarrying, initiate stringent action against offenders, remove encroachments from government land, install protective fencing around water-filled pits, erect warning signboards at hazardous locations and deploy special enforcement teams to crack down on illegal night-time excavation.
