MARGAO
Tension rent the air at Sonsodo late Tuesday evening after leachate flowed from the waste dump on to the main Margao-Curtorim road causing accidents, leaving a couple of two-wheeler riders injured.
As the road turned slippery resulting in as many as 4-6 accidents, involving two-wheelers, agitated residents of Raia and Curtorim rushed to the spot and took to the streets to protest the indifference and apathy of authorities, including the Margao Municipal Council (MMC).
Claiming that leachate water has been flowing on the main road for the last 2-3 days, they demanded to know why MMC and other authorities did not intervene immediately.
In fact, even as the Margao fire brigade was washing the road to clear the leachate, local residents led by former Raia Sarpanch Xavier Fernandes demanded that a criminal negligence case be booked against MMC officials.
Curtorim MLA Reginaldo Lourenco rushed to the spot after being informed about the incident. He, however, came face to face with the agitated residents as they questioned the failure of the authorities.
Curtorim resident Roque Mascarenhas, who is the petitioner in the PIL filed by Citizens for Sonsodo cried foul over the steps taken by MMC in addressing the waste issue. He pointed out that it is purely because of the intervention by the High Court that the MMC has begun to act. He, however, hastened to add that crores of rupees of public money has been spent on Sonsodo, demanding an answer from the government why it could not stop the flow of leachate from the dump.
“The government should answer what is happening at Sonsodo when crores of tax payers money has been spent at the site”, he thundered adding, “why should the common man suffer because of the failure of the authorities. There ought to be accountability in the functioning of the authorities”.
The residents also demanded to know the status of the High Powered Coordination Committee headed by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and why the problem still remains unresolved till date.
A 108 ambulance reached the site and the personnel were seen attending to the injured two-wheeler riders and pillion riders.
Raia resident and BJP ST leader Anthony Barbosa demanded a permanent solution to the Sonsodo waste imbroglio. He said he has spoken to Margao MLA Digambar Kamat and will talk to Sawant to find a permanent solution.
Convenor of Shadow Council for Margao Savio Coutionho told the media that the Margao MLA and MMC had recently given a false picture of a turnaround taking place at Sonsodo.
“What has happened at Sonsodo today is a clear indication that all is not well. We only hope the High Court will take cognizance of today’s incident and take the MMC to task”, Coutinho said.
