CANACONA
Residents from various forums have submitted a memorandum to Dy. Collector Madhu Narvekar, criticising the recent relocation of Canacona Fire and Emergency Services (FES) to Chapoli village.
They argue that the move is arbitrary and inconvenient. The memorandum calls for the FES to be moved to a more central and accessible location and urges the immediate start of construction on a new building at the Goa Housing Board (GHB) land in Shristhal.
The FES, previously located in one of the Civil Supplies Godowns across NH66 opposite Canacona Police Station, was relocated to a newly built Cyclone Shelter near Chapoli Dam. This decision followed Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s direction during his visit to inaugurate the Canacona Ravindra Bhavan. The Chief Minister promised to widen the narrow road to improve emergency access, but locals remain concerned about the effectiveness of the new location.
Previously, similar proposals to move the FES to Chapoli were dropped due to objections from residents. They cited the remote location, poor road network, and inadequate communication facilities as significant drawbacks. They feared that these issues would hamper emergency response times and cause inconvenience for those needing fire clearances and administrative services.
On Thursday, activists from Vision & Mission, Progressive Cancona, Swabhimani Jagruth Canconcars, and Jan Sena Warriors met with Dy. Collector Narvekar. They reiterated their demand for the FES to be relocated to a more central area, such as Chaudi or Nagorcem. They also insisted that construction on the GHB land in Shristhal, which has been pending for over five years, should begin immediately.
Dilip Kenkre, a social worker and former Vice Chairperson of CMC, criticised the move, stating that relocating the FES to a remote area like Chapoli is illogical. He pointed out the poor road network and communication issues as major concerns. Janardhan Bhandari, a Congress leader, echoed these sentiments, highlighting the additional time fire tenders would need to reach emergency sites and the lack of network connectivity for reporting incidents.
Activist Shankar Naik questioned why the government is moving public services further away from the people, contradicting its promise of making services more accessible.
The activists have called for the FES to be relocated to a more central location and for the construction of the new building at the GHB colony in Shristhal to start without further delay. Ex-Minister Isidore Fernandes had secured the GHB plots for the FES five years ago, but the Directorate of Fire & Emergency Services has yet to acquire the land and begin construction, forcing the FES to continue operating from temporary premises.
