MARGAO: The Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) on Wednesday imposed a penalty of almost Rs 1.2 crore on functions branch XXI of this PWD for having neglected to prevent raw sewage being discharged to the areas at Fatorda.
In a letter issued on the PWD from the member secretary of GSPCB Shamila Monteiro, the main chief engineer of the PWD was directed to pay the sum because a”polluter pays” penalty”towards the price for carrying a remediation workout from the affected region”, failing that the Board has cautioned of sparking instant actions under provisions of the Water Act and Air Act.
The Board’s actions from the PWD is with respect to the criticism lodged by Fatorda resident Dr Aashish Kamat at January 2020 pointing out the raw sewage has been discharged into the areas at Fatorda from PWD/sewerage business behind KTC bus stand, Margao, across the street leading from the bus stand into the scene.
Subsequent to a number of instructions to this PWD and site reviews, the GSPCB had on March 30 issued a note to the PWD requesting it to show cause within 15 days the”polluter pays” fine amounting to almost Rs 1.2 crore shouldn’t be levied on it”due to the collapse of the division to prevent the release of untreated sewage to the fields of river Sal”.
The Board stated that the answer filed by the PWD has been shown to be disappointing.
After a site review by the Board at January 31, 2020, the Board discovered that raw sewage was flowing to the areas via a tube from beneath a sewerage room by the side of the street.
“The sewer flows from the SGPDA marketplace from where it has redirected to the storm water flow across the primary street, old mark circle, Colva street, and eventually it matches the River Sal,” that the Board discovered, also requested the PWD to take instant action in this respect.
Nevertheless, several instructions to the PWD after, during a later review stored in February 2021, the Board found that”the release of sewage hasn’t yet been ceased and it proceeds to float through the areas as it had been in the time of the previous review stored on January 31 2020.”