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-------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Consumer Forum
demands safety measures at Govt. construction site
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Cuncolim Civic and Consumer Forum in a representation to the Police Inspector Mr. Siddhant Shirodkar Cuncolim Police Station has requested police intervention to enforce all mandatory safety procedures at the project site of the Water Resources Department at Sanvorcotto, Cuncolim so as avoid any mishap till senior officers of the concerned Departments take necessary action. On Thursday 2nd February Cuncolim Civic and Consumer Forum (CCCF) volunteers were alerted about a mechanized digger stripping the foliage, mud and laterite stones along the river front. Despite being the Cuncolim Feast day CCCF volunteers rushed to the spot and found it was a project of the Water Resources Department. They also found the personnel of the contractor and the WRD Junior Engineer
A.V.
Prabhu were on the site. What shocked the CCCF volunteers was that despite it being a Government project the mandatory procedures such as safety barricades along the work site, cautionary boards, information boards with details of Department undertaking the project, contractors details with emergency nos. besides commencement & completion of work details were not in place. More so no information board of the authorisation to the project by the Cuncolim Municipal Council was in place even
though
it is in their jurisdiction. On receiving intimation from the Forum, PSI Kavlekar visited the project site and after verifying the facts requested the Junior Engineer Prabhu and the Contractor's personnel to stop the work, proceed to the police station, give an undertaking that all the necessary safety procedures will be adhered to and only then the project work be resumed. The CCCF is demanding that the four sides of the river front be barricaded with cautionary sign boards and night lamps on display as local residents visit the river and sit along the banks for various purposes. CCCF is concerned that children due to curiosity tend to visit a project site when heavy earth moving machinery is in use and could be victims to a
mishap. It may be recalled that the Consumer Forum is already pursuing a case of criminal negligence case No. 48/04 of Cuncolim Police Station against a PWD Contractor and officials involved at the MPLAD project further ahead in the same river wherein a 4 year old girl Miss Venisha
Fernandes, primary school student of the project site pit which was not barricaded and no authorized boards were in
place. Copies of the representation to the Cuncolim Police Inspector have been sent to the Mr. Joaquim Alemao Hon. Minister for Urban Development, Mr. Filipe Neri Rodrigues, Hon. Minister for Water Resources., Mr. J.P.Singh Chief Secretary, D.A.Hawaldar, Director, Directorate of Municipal Administration, Chief Engineer, Water Resource Dept., South Goa District Collector, Dy.SP Mr. Tony M. Fernandes SDPO, Margao and Mr. Filonio Vaz, Chairperson, Cuncolim
Municipal Council among others.
CCCF has in the representation also stated that day and night monitoring will be undertaken at this project site by the Forum volunteers to see that all safety procedures are strictly adhered to and will report violations and discrepancies which amount to criminal negligence that
may be noted at the project site. Press Release from the Cuncolim Civic and Consumer Forum --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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