NT NETWORK
Calangute
Shantadurga Devasthan Committee, Nanora, along with the villagers, has objected to the setting up of a sewage pumping station that is coming up in the property of the devasthan at Gauravaddo East in Calangute.
In this connection, more than 100 people gathered in the survey number 118/1 in Gauravaddo East objecting to the project.
The committee members, for the last 3 years, have been opposing it.
The sewerage network in Calangute, the work on which started in 2013 has not been completed yet and the work on two pumping stations is still pending.
General secretary of Shantadurga Devasthan Committee Vishwas Gad said that “the devasthan committee had raised objection to the land acquisition and despite it the land was acquired. The devasthan had even requested the ex-chief minister Manohar Parrikar to shift the pumping station to another property belonging to the devasthan, which was agreed to. The feasibility report was given for that land and an affidavit was also taken from us but later the plan was changed. Our prime property will have no value as the pumping station is being constructed in front on the roadside. We will not allow the government to go ahead with their plan.”
Another local and senior citizen Eknath Nagvekar said that “the work on sewerage network is going on for almost 9 years. It was to be completed in 2015. The villagers have been facing dust pollution ever since the work on this project started in Calangute. We are not against the project but we do not want the pumping station to come up in the devasthan property. The government should take cognisance of our objection and shift the pumping station project somewhere else. There are so many sites in Calangute.”
Clotilda Braganza, a local, said that the “sewerage network in Calangute has not yet been commissioned, but the chambers are getting flooded. If this network gets choked, there will be a disaster in the area. The government should have given a thought before selecting this site, which belongs to the temple committee. The area could be used for better purpose. Now, this prime land of 3,500 square metres will go waste due to the pumping station.”
President of the Calangute Constituency Forum Premanand Divkar said that “there are so many hotels in Calangute which generate large quantities of waste water every day. If this pumping station fails, the people in the area will suffer. The government was telling the people that Saligao garbage plant will not emanate stink. Now, see the plight of the people staying in the surrounding area. The stink can be felt even in Candolim.”
As per a report, the pumping station can overflow if there is a pump problem or if a sewage pipe gets choked and if this happens, the people will have to leave their houses and go away.
Calangute panchayat sources said that the village panchayat has tried its level best to shift the pumping station but the land has been acquired and it is in the government name.”
