MARGAO
Taking cognizance of the hardships faced by citizens from South Goa to travel to Saligao to deposit money amounting to Rs 3,000 to obtain sound permission for outdoor events, including tiatr and weddings, the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) has sent a mail to the two district Collectors to ensure the applicants pay the money online and also send the application seeking permission to the Board by e-mail.
GSPCB Member Secretary Dr Shamila Monteiro has said the applicants need not come to Saligao to deposit the amount of Rs 3,000.
She said the applicants can deposit the money to the GSPCB online and mention the UTR number on the application form.
She further said the Sub-divisional magistrates can then e-mail the application form with the UTR number before the GSPCB process the application and approves the permission.
The GSPCB Member Secretary has informed that an e-mail has been dispatched to the district Collectors to make sure that the SDMs do not send the applicants seeking sound permission to hold tiatr, nataks, weddings and other outdoor programmes to the GSPCB office at Saligao.
Since the Department of Environment and Climatic Change had issued the notification in mid-January last laying down the guidelines for issuing sound permission for outdoor events, applicants from Salcete and down south had to undergo the ordeal of travelling all the way to Saligao just to deposit the amount of Rs 3,000 with the GSPCB for the sound permission.
In fact, the authorities were charged by the beleaguered citizens for going by the letter and not by the spirit of the notification when the Goa government had launched with much fanfare in mid-March the Prashasan Tumchea Dari (Administration at the doorsteps).
The notification had invited flak from politicians as well as tiatr lovers, charging the government for meting out harassment to the citizens by forcing them to travel to Saligao just to take sound permission.
