MAPUSA
Saligao Sarpanch Lucas Remedios on Monday said nearly all of the illegally dumped mud in the village fields has been cleared and those responsible have assured that the remaining portion will also be removed soon.
Addressing a news conference at the Saligao panchayat office, Remedios said around 95 percent of the mud had already been cleared from the affected fields.
“The GED contractor’s representative has assured that the balance mud will also be removed,” he stated.
The sarpanch, accompanied by the panchayat secretary, had visited the site on Monday to inspect the area where the illegal dumping had taken place.
Ward member Ramdas Konadkar and several residents who had actively protested against the dumping were also present during the inspection and later at the news conference.
Remedios, however, criticised members of the Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP) for allegedly attempting to take credit for the cleanup.
He accused them of circulating videos and social media posts suggesting that RGP members had stopped the illegal dumping.
“Today, RGP claims they have removed the mud from the fields, but none of them were present there. It was the locals and panchayat members who stopped the dumping. No RGP people were involved,” Remedios asserted.
Supporting the sarpanch’s remarks, local resident Pradeep Padgaonkar said it was the villagers who took the initiative to halt the illegal activity.
“The locals had stopped the trucks, but some political groups are now taking credit without doing any work. Such people should not claim credit for efforts they were never part of. Do people’s work “ we’ll be happy,” Padgaonkar said.
The illegal dumping of mud in the fields had triggered protests from locals in Saligao, who demanded immediate action to restore the agricultural land and prevent similar incidents in the future.
