MARGAO
A group of persons from Cuncolim have urged the people not to politicize the contentious issue of pollution at the Cuncolim Industrial estate but to be united and work together to end the decades old pollution issue.
The appeal was made by Cuncolim Congress block Committee president Assiz Norohna, Aviraj Desai, Vijay Prabhu and Mariano Soares as they pointed out that Cuncolim MLA Yuri Alemao has not lost a single opportunity to highlight the pollution issue within the Goa Legislative Assembly and outside after his election in 2022.
Saying that the industrial pollution is not new to the people of Cuncolim and has been going on over the last 20 years, they pointed out that if the steel industries were earlier involved in pollution, the fish meal emanating stink and foul odour has aggravated the pollution since 2013.
Aviraj Desai informed that he had taken up the issue of the illegal well dug up outside the IDC by a fish processing plant. “After we lodged the complaint and after the issue was raised by MLA Yuri on the floor of the house, the authorities finally acted and attached the pumps and other items used in the well”, he said, even as he called upon the people to show to the government that people of Cuncolim will not tolerate pollution in the Cuncolim IDC.
Vijai Prabhu said that complaints were lodged against Ms Global Ispaat for erecting a shed sans permission. “Our MLA had raised the issue in the Assembly after which action in the form of demolition order was issued by the deputy Collector. The unit has obtained a stay on the demolition order, but the people and the MLA will fight till the last to see that the illegal shed is demolished”, Prabhu said.
Asserting that the Cuncolim IDC is plagued by three types of violations, Environmental pollution, illegal encroachment and illegal exploitation of natural resources for personal gains, Prabhu said all this was happening because a strong political will was lacking.
“But now with Yuri Alemao as Local MLA & also Leader of Opposition, things have started changing. Right from first assembly session in 2022 Yuri Alemao has been raising concerns on behalf of people of Cuncolim inside the assembly & outside”, he added.
Cuncolim Congress Block president has expressed his satisfaction over the developments happening over the pollution issue and expressed confidence that MLA & LoP Yuri Alemao will handle this issue with utmost priority.
Tiatrist & composer Mariano Soares emphasized on the need of more youth taking the baton against pollution to relieve Cuncollkars of this Curse of Pollution which was dumped on Cuncollkars around 28 years back.
