MARGAO
The Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Prof Antonio Alvares on the discharge of sewage in the Margao storm water drains did not come up for hearing in the High Court on Wednesday, but Margao Municipal Chief Officer Gaurish Sankhwalkar faces a contentious question “ whether he would go ahead and execute the threat to disconnect water supply to the 150 households found discharging waste and sewage water in the drains?
The MMC has so far issued 134 out of the 150 notices signed by the Chief Officer giving seven days time to the violators to show cause why a penalty amounting to Rs 5,000 should not be imposed on the households.
The households were further told to show cause why the matter should not be referred to the Health Officer and the PWD for the disconnection of water connection to abate the nuisance and the health hazard.
With the seven-day deadline nearing end, the Chief Officer has come under the scanner whether he would disconnect the water supply to the violators. Making matters worse for the Chief Officer is that the violators have so far not replied to the show cause notices.
Sources said the Chief Officer needed to take a call at the earliest before the civic body is pulled up by the High Court for paying lip service to the issue at hand.
MMC officials in the know said the issue is indeed serious with the inspection unearthing rampant violations. “We have come across households letting their small rooms to migrant tenants with waste water from the rooms connected to the storm water drains. The public toilet in these areas are connected to the underground sewage line, but not the individual households,. The Chief Officer need to take a call at the earliest how he intends to go about the matter”, sources pointed out.
A Civic body recalled how the High Court got the Margao Municipality connect the 140-odd houses at Azad Nagar last year to connect to the underground sewage line after literally serving a deadline. “We have issued the show cause notices on the violators. Now, it is for the Chief Officer to take the action to the next level if the violators do not respond to the show cause notices”, sources said.
Prof Antonio Alvares had knocked the doors of the High Court with a plea to direct the Margao Municipal Council to stop the rampant discharge of sewage into the Kudchadkar storm water nallah before the water finds its way to the picturesque Salpem lake in Navelim.
A recent joint inspection carried out by the agencies headed by the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) had unearthed rampant sewage and waste water discharge in the storm water nallah. Further inspection by the Margao Municipality had unraveled pipes discharging sewage and waste water along the Kudchadkar storm water nallah.
