MARGAO
Concerned citizens of Nuvem constituency on Wednesday made a strong demand for the scrapping of the waste treatment plant at Verna, asserting the project will push the plateau and surrounding villages on the brink of disaster.
Addressing the media, Ramiro Mascarehnhas pointed out that the Nuvem constituency villagers have been officially voicing their opposition to the proposed 250+ 20% TPD waste management plant at the Verna plateau since September 2017. “This plant is slated to cater to the garbage of 39 villages and three municipalities. The villagers' contention that plot UD6 in the Verna Industrial Estate, which is land returned by the SEZ developer, has been deliberately selected to avoid a public hearing, which would give people of the vicinity a say in this issue. The Central Environment Ministry insists that such projects be set up in consultation with TCP and concerned panchayats,” he said.
Ramiro said it is high time the government stopped putting unbearable burdens upon the villagers and disrupting their way of life, just to cover up its inadequacies.
He said the Rapid Environment Impact Assessment (REIA), which has been prepared without even visiting the site, claims that the perpendicular distance to Panaji is just 6 km, whilst the Dabolim airport is 20 km from the site. The report has also omitted to factor in the river Sal, Goa's only indigenous river which rises in this area.
John Philip Pereira lamented that the REIA also does not specify how the 100 odd trucks or 10 trucks per hour, which will be required to transport the garbage from various locations, tearing down highways and village roads, spewing leachate, garbage fragments and stench in the process, will be regulated and controlled.
The villagers alleged that they are compelled to bear the brunt of the abdication of responsibility of various agencies including the Water Resources and Electricity departments, Goa State Pollution Control Board and of course GIDC, which is ironically supposed to look after the safety of the community and ensure proper land use.
Claiming that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and former Waste Management Minister Michael Lobo had assured a delegation of villagers accompanied by then MLA Wilfred D’Sa that the plant would not come up at the site if the people don’t want it, Ramiro expressed shock at a U-turn with the new government pushing ahead with plans.
