MARGAO
While the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) appears to have focused extensively on on-site pollution control norms to curb pollution within the Cuncolim Industrial Estate, questions remain about off-site regulation.
Are there adequate off-site mechanisms in place to monitor and control pollution caused by fish-transporting trucks en route to the Cuncolim Industrial Development Corporation (IDC)?
Fish meant for processing at the Cuncolim fish meal plant — reportedly the first such plant in Goa — is primarily transported from fishing jetties and fish landing points along the coastal belt. For years, residents of Cuncolim and neighbouring villages have complained about the foul fish odour left behind by vehicles ferrying raw material to the plant.
There are also repeated allegations that roads leading to the Cuncolim IDC often become slippery due to leachate discharged from these trucks during transit, posing both environmental and safety hazards.
Although the GSPCB now proposes to tighten regulations governing fish transportation — including the use of sealed and insulated vehicles — serious questions remain about enforcement. What mechanisms will be put in place to ensure compliance outside the industrial estate?
Large mechanised vessel owners may be able to afford insulated vehicles for transporting fish to the fish meal plant. But what about small-scale and traditional fishermen? Many of them lack access to insulated transport and rely instead on open pick-up vans or goods carriers to move their catch.
