MARGAO
Demanding a judicial probe into the sewerage works executed in Navelim village, local MLA Luizinho Faleiro on Tuesday called for the arrest of all officials responsible, if raw and untreated sewage is being discharged into the river Sal by the sewage
treatment plants.
“I really do not know whether untreated sewage is released in the river Sal. If it is so, it amounts to a criminal act and all officers responsible for the treatment of sewage should be arrested,” he told the media at Telaulim village on Tuesday.
Faleiro pointed out that if sewage received at the treatment plants at Sirvodem is released in the river without treatment, he imagined what would be the situation when sewage starts coming to the STPs from Navelim, Aquem-Baixo and Davorlim villages in the future.
Taking potshots at the sewerage department for rampant digging of roads and failure to restore damaged roads, Faleiro said the sewerage department spends crores of rupees to dig roads, but says they have no money to restore these. “The Sewerage Corporation, JICA and other departments just go about digging roads. As per rules, they are supposed to fill up the trenches and asphalt them at least three times. But they are not doing the work as per the norms,” he said, adding that people of Navelim and Telaulim are unhappy because good quality roads are being destroyed by the sewerage department.
The Navelim MLA has raised apprehensions that bursting of water pipeline may cause problem with the sewerage line and the water pipeline crossing each other. “Once the sewage line is commissioned, it can cause havoc. I have seen near Rosary college when water pressure is increased, the water pipeline bursts and given that the sewerage line is crossing the water pipeline, anything may happen,” he said.
Faleiro thanked the sarpanchas of Navelim and Telaulim, besides members and the villagers in general for extending cooperation to the authorities while laying the underground sewerage works.
