MAPUSA
The North Goa Collector has revoked the permission granted to set up a petrol pump (retail outlet) in Siolim giving major relief to the residents and the management of a school in the area.
The decision was taken after it was found that the proponents of the project submitted misleading site plans as the petrol pump was proposed at a site next to a school and residential houses.
Interestingly, several government departments and officials who are supposed to issue NOCs after inspecting the site also failed to identify and mention the existence of the school and residential houses near the site.
The issue gained traction only after the manager of the Keerti Vidyalaya School Parmanand Mandrekar and the Chairperson of Siolim-Marna panchayat’s Village Child Committee (VCC), Gregory D’Souza raised the matter before appropriate authorities.
Chairperson of Siolim-Marna VCC, Gregory D’Souza complained to the Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (GSCPCR) to intervene in the matter as the petrol pump was planned to be set up next to a school attended by hundreds of children.
Following the complaint, a GSCPCR member S K Punaji inspected the site and presented his report before the commission.
Recently, the Chairperson of Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Sushma Mandrekar called for a virtual meeting on the issue where all the concerned department officials and the complainant were also present.
In his presentation the complainant, Gregory D’Souza informed that the petroleum company violated all the guidelines set by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the Petroleum and Explosion Safety Organisation (PESO).
He also said that the Town and Country Planning department failed to enforce the Goa Building Construction 2010 Rules and further even failed to verify the misleading site plans submitted by the petroleum company to the collector and the PESO in bid to obtain the NOC for the retail outlet.
He further stated that the Fire Safety and Emergency department and the Superintendent of Police issued NOCs to the project without making a mention about the school and the residential houses that existed near to the site.
“Allowing violations for such projects is setting a wrong precedent for future illegalities in other parts of the State,” D’Souza said.
Incidentally, the officer representing the Fire Safety and Emergency department at the meeting requested the deputy collector to revoke the NOC granted to the petrol pump as the proposers failed to mention the existence of structures in the area.
Deputy Collector (DRO) Veera Nayak informed the commission that the file was under review and the NOC granted to the project would be revoked.
When contacted the Deputy Collector informed that the collector’s office has rescinded the NOC issued to the petroleum company.
“We have rejected the NOC granted to the petroleum company,” Nayak told The Goan.
It may be recalled the office of the district magistrate, North Goa in a public notice published in a local daily on March 18 last year had invited objections on setting up of a new retail outlet (petrol pump) in survey no 81/9-H in Siolim.
