Dear Saligaokaram, >From 1987, when the indiscriminate dumping of garbage began on our Saligao hill, the erstwhile Saligao Nagrik Kriti Samiti (SNKS) made the following demands to successive Panchayat bodies (including the Calangute Panchayat), MLAs, Deputy Chief Ministers and Chief Ministers (including Dr. Willy and Manohar Parrikr...both of whom are reading this message!):
*-* *Implement the Solid Waste Management Rules-2000<http://www.envfor.nic.in/legis/hsm/mswmhr.html> .* Right now, the Calangute panchayat managing the dump, is in violation of these very Rules, as well as in violation of a High Court Order passed as a result of a joint petition by the Saligao Civic & Consumer Cell and the Goa Foundation. The court order had made these rules applicable to this dump, even though they mention only municipalities. *- Shift the dump and/ or the Garbage Treatment Plant, 2 kms mainly to the west but also a little to the south, somewhere behind the Calangute Police Station.* This will ensure that the dump and/ or plant will be away from *all* human habitation. As always, projects with potential danger to people's health and lives, as well as with a definite danger to an eco-sensitive zone<http://envfor.nic.in/divisions/iass/eia/Annex2.htm>, should be installed as far away as possible. The present site is in an extremely fragile, eco-sensitive zone, as the hill that houses it, is home to laterite aquifers that feed the water tables of Saligao, Pilerne and Candolim. Example: the Salmona Spring, directly in line with the dump, has been certified unfit for human consumption, by the Pollution Control Board. There is no sensible option, but to shift to the dump/ plant to a safer location. * * *- Build a dedicated road, west of Mother Mary Haven (Home For The Aged), to the plant...before land acquisition. * Since this is the proposed Garbage Treatment Plant for the *whole* of North Goa (not just for the coastal villages, as was *mistakenly* stated), there will be a constant flow of garbage trucks, 24x7, from all the 209 villages in North Goa. This overload of continuous garbage traffic, cannot be routed through the heart of *any* village. * Ashley has already mentioned that a separate road is proposed in the RP21.* *- Take local Saligaokars into confidence. This is Panchayati Raj, not* *Panaji Raj!* Local Saligaokars should decide the kind of development we want in our village. Citizens cannot allow secretive decisions, taken behind closed doors, in some dark corridor of power in Panjim, to be dumped on us, as if we did not exist. Complete transparency on the technology and the project is the most fundamental courtesy any state or local-self-government can extend to its citizenry. Again, as Ashley has rightly suggested, let a local citizen's committee study the project with its own experts to advise us on the feasibility of the project, in its entirety. Saligao has the wherewithal to do this. Let the details of the plant be explained in vaddo meetings and then discussed in one or more Gram Sabhas. Instead of the Saligao Panchayat, Communidade, MLA and the Chief Minister deciding on the project and even ordering land acquisition proceedings, this is what they should have said to each other and to the Calangute MLA at their joint meeting: "Hey, wait a minute guys! We cannot take such important decisions just amongst ourselves. We have an electorate to consult. We have our village brothers and sisters to take into confidence. So, before we go to the Press, or start land acquisition proceedings, let us call for village meetings, discuss things with them, truthfully lay bare every bit of the technology, do our best to convince them and then let *them*, the villagers decide if they want the plant, and where they want it." It is a sad commentary on the state of Saligao's grassroots democracy, as enshrined in the Panchayati Raj Act, that none of these elected representatives, came back to the people to either report or take them into confidence...at least, not yet! *- Along with the local citizens' committee, do an Environment Impact Assessment <http://envfor.nic.in/divisions/iass/eia/Cover.htm> (EIA)* *and submit the report to the villagers.* This is a must, because we are dealing with garbage treatment, a process with many potential dangers. *For instance, is there effluent/ leachate from the plant and where does it go? * Example: there is a lethal, toxic soup, bubbling merrily in that enormous cauldron - the laterite quarry that contains unsorted, putrefying garbage-cum-rain-water at the present dump on the hill. This deadly marinate is right now, percolating through the aquifers in our laterite hills and poisoning our springs and wells in Arrarim, Nigvaddo, Abreuvaddo and Salmona. Will the plant's leachate, if any, follow this precedent? * * *And what of gaseous emissions?* There may not be chimneys billowing thick, visible, polluting smoke into Saligao, like we have in the Pilerne industrial estate next door. But will there be colourless, odourless, yet dangerous emissions from the plant, wafting their polluting way down our gentle hill-slopes into the village? Only an EIA, done by a joint team of villagers and experts can answer such questions. *- Lastly, obey the High Court Order and return the present dump site to its original, pristine state: laterite quarry, tree cover and all.* So, are we against the aforementioned Garbage Treatment Plant? Definitely not! North Goa most certainly needs such a plant...fast...even if it is entirely on Saligao land. We are willing to take the risk of suggesting such a sacrifice, *but*, *but*, *but*...*before* any land acquisition proceedings: 1. Let the state and local-self-government, truthfully and transparently, take the trouble to explain the technology and the entire project to Saligaokars. 2. Conduct a joint Environmenal Impact Assessment, along with local citizens. 3. Based on these two steps, let local villagers decide the kind of development they want in their habitat and where they want it. Let grassroots democracy prevail. 4. Shift the dump/ plant to somewhere behind the Calangute Police Station or any other convenient location - entirely on Saligao land may be - but well away from *all* residential areas. 5. Construct a dedicated road to the site, before land acquisition proceedings. 6. Obey the High Court order and follow the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2000 and any relevant laws applicable. 7. Obey the same order and return the present dump site to its original state. These are our personal suggestions. Warm regards and solidarity. M&M. On 17 August 2013 16:43, muriel&mario <[email protected]> wrote: M-m-m-m...something to think about. > > Note the misleading location: "Saligao-Calangute hill...", when in > reality, the site is right on top of the whole vaddo of Salmona, Abreu > Vaddo, Nigvaddo and parts of Arrarim. Part of the land may be on the > common boundary that Saligao shares with Calangute, but it is miles away > from Calangute village, while sitting right on top of densely populated > vaddos of Saligao. > > Climb up to that site from anywhere in the village and you will observe: those > are Saligao hills. Period. Just an observation. > > Watch this space for similar observations and alternatives... > ---------------------------------------------- > *From the Times of India* > > TNN Aug 14, 2013, 04.52AM IST > > PANAJI: Chief minister ManoharParrikar on Tuesday directed the department > of science, technology and environment to initiate land acquisition > proceedings for about 93,978 square metres land on the Saligao-Calangute hill, > where a garbage treatment plant for North Goa coastal villages is planned. > > Speaking at a joint meeting of stakeholders in the secretariat on Tuesday, > which was attened by Calangute MLA Michael Lobo and Saligao MLA Dilip > Parulekar along with representatives of both comunidades and village > panchayats, Parrikar directed the Goa state infrastructure development > corporation (GSIDC) to draw up specifications for the proposed garbage > treatment plant and invite tenders from interested parties. High level > officials from GSIDC, DSTE and other departments also attended the meeting. > > The government proposes to acquire 29,178 square metres land of Saligao > comunidade and 64,800 square metres of Calangute communidade which adds > upto 93,978 square metres. "The government will formally write to the > comunidades soon," Lobo said. > > While both MLAs agreed in principle to the land acquisition, they had some > pre-conditions. Calangute comunidade attorney Anthony D'Souza said the > Calangute comunidade has requested the government for detailed plans of the > precise area of land desired and what technology will be used. "These > details will be scrutinized by the communidade before arriving at a > decision," D'Souza said. > > Saligao comunidade attorney Austin Gama echoed in agreement to the > proposal subject to the government fulfilling some conditions prescribed by > the general body. Gama said that one demand is to realign the approach road > in Saligao to the garbage disposal site. Sources said that the government > surveyors will go to the site on Wednesday itself to begin the process for > the road realignment. > > Sources said that the comunidades and village Panchayats of both the > villages, along with the MLAs of both constituencies, have demanded to be > on the monitoring committee that will oversee the project from beginning to > end. The department of science, technology and environment will appoint a > land acquisition officer shortly to acquire the land on an emergency basis > by invoking Sections 4 and 17 simultaneously. > > (ends) > > Read the original report here: > > > http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Govt-to-acquire-land-on-Saligao-Calangute-hill/articleshow/21814954.cms > > Warm regards and solidarity. > > M&M. > -- > -- **................................................................ there *is* *anOTHERgoa* at <http://www.an*OTHER*goa.blogspot.in <http://www.anothergoa.blogspot.in>> & <http://www.youtube.com/anothergoa> ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' muriel & mario, c/o FULKAR, 6/22, sonarbhatt, saligao. bardez. goa. 403511. tel: 0832-2278276 / 2409999 <anothergoa AT gmail.com> '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' -- -- Saligao-Net is at http://groups.google.com/group/saligao-net To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe email [email protected] --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Saligao-Net" group. 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