Sao Jose de Areal survey yields no results
BY HERALD REPORTER
MARGAO, MARCH 6 Salcete Mamlatdar Paresh Mamlatdar with the police in tow
trudged the mountainous region of Sao Jose de Areal ravaged and devastated by
indiscriminate blasting operations for the prized black metal in search of the
quarry owners responsible for the degradation of the environment.
With the blasting operations and the illegal crushers coming under the
scanner of the High Court, the District Collector who was literally pulled up
by the High Court judges dispatched the Mamlatdar to Sao Jose de Areal to not
only seal the illegal crushers, but survey the blasting activities in the
village.
Though reports spoke about the team proceeding to Areal to seal the crushers
- which were desealed a fortnight ago to facilitate Goa Pollution Board to
check pollution norms Salcete Mamlatdar, Paresh Faldessai denied that any
crusher was sealed in todays exercise.
I am awaiting an order from the Goa Pollution Control Board to seal the
crushers, Faldessai added.
Incidentally, the team could not trace or identify the quarry owners as most
of the sites were found closed down. Todays survey has literally yielded no
results, with the addresses of the quarry owners remaining unknown.
The officials could not turn to the local Communidade body for assistance as
the lease with the owners are believed to have been executed decades ago.
The Bombay High Court had on Wednesday directed the District Collector, South
G P Naik to conduct inspection of the illegal quarries and the crushers in the
villages of Sao Jose de Areal, Gudi-Paroda and Sarzora.
The Salcete Mamladar informed that the team would revisit the area, including
the neighbouring village of Sarzora and also carry out sealing of the crushers
as requested by the GPCB.
http://www.oheraldo.in/pagedetails.asp?nid=666&cid=26
VIVA GOA
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