PANAJI
Former Panaji mayor Surendra Furtado has alleged that the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) has no records of the proposed L-shaped floating jetty on the Mandovi river despite the project being processed through a Rapid Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
Furtado said he filed an RTI application on July 6 seeking details of the proposal, approvals and EIA process. In its July 16 reply, the GSPCB stated, “As per record no information is available.” He said the response raises serious concerns over regulatory oversight.
Furtado also cited a 2025 peer-reviewed study by CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, which identified Panaji’s casino hub as the Mandovi-Zuari estuary’s most persistent pollution hotspot. The study recorded coliform levels of 16,000 MPN/100 ml at Casino Point, 32 times above the CPCB limit, besides critically low oxygen levels and microbial contamination. He demanded a comprehensive EIA and public consultation, questioning the need for a Rapid EIA on an already polluted river.
