OLD GOA
The Merces panchayat caught yet another tanker releasing sewage in the khazan fields and handed over the vehicle to the Old Goa police.
Divulging this to reporters, Merces Sarpanch Pramod Kamat informed that former sarpanch Assis Fernandes along with the youth had caught the tanker in the wee hours of Saturday, at around 2 am.
“We immediately informed the Old Goa police who arrived at the site and conducted the panchanama, after which the driver was arrested and the tanker detained,” Kamat informed while pointing out that this is the second instance in Merces such an incident has occurred.
“There is a possibility that a tanker mafia is in operation in Merces, and are using the fields and the khazans for discharging sewage,” Kamat said, while urging that authorities like the Collector and the Pollution Board should investigate the matter.
“In the earlier incident, the panchayat has already written to the Collector and directions have been issued to the Pollution Board to initiate a probe,” Kamat said.
Meanwhile, former sarpanch Assis Fernandes said in both the cases, a similar modus operandi is used in which a PVC pipeline is used to discharge sewage.
“It appears that Merces village is being targeted by the owners of sewage tankers and the villagers should also remain vigilant to help the efforts of the panchayat authorities,” Fernandes said.
