Margao: The Shadow Council for Margao and the citizens of Margao and Fatorda on Saturday held a protest condemning the government and the concerned authorities including the MMC, Waste Management Corporation and Pollution Control Board for dumping hazardous and poisonous materials in the low lying field near the district court.
Armed with banners and placards, the citizens questioned the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant whether dumping of hazardous waste was a part of the Save Soil MOU signed with Shree Sadguru’s Isha Foundation.
Depicting the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Environment Minister Nilesh Cabral and Margao MLA Digambar Kamat as Santa Claus’s carrying poison, mercury and garbage in their bags, one of the banners thanked them for their Christmas gift in the form of poisonous waste.
Several speakers including Jose Maria Miranda, Candeth Castello, Mahesh Naik, Zarina Da Cunha, Anthony Gonsalves, strongly criticised the authorities for their care a damn attitude towards public health and well-being.
Mahesh Naik wondered as to why the High Court doesn’t monitor the work undertaken by the MMC and GWMC, since it is being undertaken through a PIL writ petition.
Coutinho informed that they have addressed the issue by way of written complaints before every forum from the Hon’ble Prime Minister to the Hon’ble High Court, the Pollution Control Board and even the Director for Environment and Climate Change, however no positive action seemed to be forthcoming. “And now taking advantage of the Christmas season and the court vacations, the dumping which was temporarily on hold, has commenced once again,” Coutinho said.
The protesters including Maria do Carmo, Antonio Pereira, Adv Snehal Onskar, Iftiyaz Sayed, Dinesh Naik, Damodar Onskar, demanded that the waste dumping be immediately stopped.
