the goan I network
PONDA
In yet another protest against Sewerage Treatment Plants (STP), a group of locals from Curti on Wednesday forced Sarpanch Rukma Khandeparkar to ask the Sewerage and Infrastructural Development Corporation of Goa Limited (SIDCGL) to stop ongoing work of STP and laying of pipeline in their area.
These locals want the proposed STP shifted to a non-residential area.
On Wednesday morning, around 50-odd locals, mostly consisting of women, from Jayceenagar and Housing Board Colony, called on Khandeparkar and threatened that they would not leave the premises, nor allow her to move out of her office, until she gave in writing that the STP work would be stopped.
The locals argued almost three hours with Sarpanch Khandeparkar on the contentious issue in the panchayat’s conference room at Curti.
Left with no option, Khandeparkar to write a letter to SIDCGL to stop the work until the case pertaining to the matter is disposed by the Directorate of Panchayats (DoP).
It may be recalled that the Curti-Khandepar panchayat had forwarded a resolution to SIDCGL regarding revocation of resolution/NOC issued on February 15, 2014 for proposed STP at housing board colony and Jayceenagar.
This was later challenged by SIDCGL before the DoP and the matter is sub-judice.
Deputy Sarpanch Shailesh Shet has also opposed the move to construct the STP in residential area and has insisted it should be moved to a non-residential area.
Prakash Sawant, president of a housing society, clarified that they were not opposed to the STP, but they did not want it in their area as it is densely populated. “Let SIDCGL set it up in a non-residential area. We are not opposing the STP, but we don’t want it in our area,” Sawant said.
Sarpanch Khandeparkar said she has now written to SIDCGL to stop the work since the matter is sub-judice.
