CANACONA
The discharge of vast amounts of molasses from a damaged distillery tank into freshly excavated pits in the Shristhal Industrial Estate sparked off outrage among people and activists in Canacona on Tuesday.
They have feared a major health hazard and severe pollution which could contaminate groundwater and affect the habitat in the area.
People noticed on Monday that a JCB engaged for the last few days had excavated large pits and molasses had been discharged from the nearby the defunct and damaged tank.
The large pits especially excavated next to the damaged tank were full and overflowing at one end, threatening to contaminate the Kalwade stream and Talpona river, which proceeds to the sea. Locals claimed the unprotected site has also endangered cattle moving in the area.
Angry locals accused authorities of allowing this discharge of molasses and jeopardising public health, at a time when they had been demanding the removal of molasses waste from the damaged tank.
They later made enquiries with the Canacona SDM/Dy Collector and were informed that there had only been orders by Goa State Pollution Control Board to transfer the molasses from the tank, which was also confirmed by Canacona IDC officials.
As authorities were still monitoring the developments, tension flared up at the Canacona IDC as a large number of locals and activists gathered on Tuesday morning and threatened to take law into their hands, if corrective precautionary measures are not put in place immediately.
Responding to their concerns, Dy Collector/SDM Prataprao Naik Gaonkar along with the Canacona mamlatdar was the first to reach at the site.
A short while later, Sports Minister and Canacona MLA Ramesh Tawadkar, the Shristhal sarpanch, Canacona Police Inspector Harish Raut Desai with a police team, health officials went to the site, which was later cordoned off, amid fears of an untoward incident.
Demanding immediate precautionary measures for public safety, people gathered demanded action against the company/personnel involved in discharging vast amounts of molasses from a damaged distillery tank into freshly excavated pits.
