THE GOAN NETWORK
MARGAO: Has the Salcete Mamlatdar Vimod Dalal sealed the 46 commercial establishments, including hotels, beef, mutton and chicken stalls etc in the commercial capital under the Air and water Prevention and Control of Pollution Acts as requested by the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB)?
Well, the Salcete Mamlatdar was directed by Deputy Collector (South-II) Velton Tellis on November 25 to ensure that the operations of the 46 units are closed/sealed as per the directions of the Goa State Pollution Control Board.
In fact, deputy Collector, Velton had requested the Mamlatdar to submit an action taken report within 48 hours in this regard for onward submission to the Goa state pollution Control Board. Directions to the Mamlatdar were issued by the deputy Collector with the approval of the district Magistrate, South Goa.
The ground reality, however, has not changed in the last 15 days since the deputy Collector had issued directions to the Salcete Mamlatdar on November 25. In fact, none of the establishments have been shut or sealed till date as a result of which the GSPCB order, issued under the High Court directions, have gone abegging till date.
When The Goan contacted the Salcete Mamlatdar, Vimod Dalal to shed light on the Deputy Collector’s directions to shut the shop of the 46 establishments, he replied saying the exercise could not start for the simple reason that the establishments could not be identified.
In fact, Dalal informed that his office has written a letter to the Goa State Pollution Control Board to depute its representatives to Margao to help identify the establishments before his office could commence action against the establishments. “My office is in receipt of the letter from the Deputy Collector to seal the 46 establishments mentioned in the GSPCB’s letter. Our talathi had gone on the ground to check the establishment, but returned back since he could not find out the establishments”, he said.
Given the situation, the Salcete Mamlatdar said a joint inspection of the 46 establishments will be carried out by officials of the Mamlatdar office and the GSPCB to identify all the establishments before further action is initiated to seal the premises.
The High Court had in the Public Interest Litigation in the Salpem lake pollution had issued directions to the Goa State Pollution Control Board to take action, including sealing the commercial establishments which has neither consent to operate nor have made an application for consent to operate, within a period of four weeks from the date of the order.
The Goa State Pollution Control Board was further erected to decide the applications made by the defaulters for obtaining of consent to operate within a period of four weeks after proper inspection and check if proper sewage disposal, in terms of law, and if the same is/are rejected, then the GSPCB is directed to immediately seal the premises.
