MARGAO
With the High Court deadline on sealing households, commercial establishments stares at the authorities, the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) has started the exercise of assisting the owners to obtain consent to operate the business.
A team of Goa State Pollution Control Board officials descended at the South Goa District Collectorate on Tuesday to help and assist the establishment owners in making applications and obtaining the consent to operate their businesses.
Sources in the know informed that the GSPCB has provided the facility for the beleaguered establishment owners after the Board had issued notices for their closure since they had no consent to operate the premises. After the GSPCB had filed the list of establishments in the High Court in their status report on the sewerage issue plaguing the commercial capital, the High Court had set four-week time for the Board to seal the premises.
In fact, the Goa State Pollution Control Board received clear directions by the High Court to take action, including sealing the 51 commercial establishments that have neither consent to operate nor made an application for consent to operate, within a period of four weeks from the date of the order.
As per the High Court order, the GSPCB had moved the district authorities, South to execute the Court order by sealing the premises. However, officials of the Salcete Mamlatdar insisted on identification of the erring premises by officials of the GSPCB before initiating action.
Meanwhile, a joint inspection of the establishments was conducted by officials of the GSPCB, Mamlatdar and the Margao Municipal Council to identify the premises and initiate action.
Sources said the GSPCB team had visited the district Collectorate to provide a last opportunity for the establishment owners to obtain the consent to operate before action by way of sealing of the premises is initiated by the authorities.
