Goemkarponn Desk
PANAJI: The Cuncolim Industrial Estate’s polluting units have finally been given the boot by the Goa State Pollution Control Board, which ordered a fish meal facility and a fish processing unit to halt operations immediately.
GSPCB Member Secretary Dr. Shamila Monteiro has sent letters to Ms. United Marine Products and Ms. Quality Foods, asking them to provide justification for why their operations shouldn’t be stopped or halted.
The observations suggest that the fish meal facility is being conducted in a way that amounts to a breach of the terms of the operating consent granted under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, the GSPCB Member Secretary noted in the notification.
Due to the fish meal plant’s continuous release of untreated wastewater until further instructions, it was instructed to immediately cease operations in order to prevent any harm to the public’s health and the spread of any diseases in the surrounding region.
In the event that the BJP government does nothing to stop fish meal and processing factories from dumping untreated water into the nearby farms and water bodies, Cuncolim residents may take legal action, according to a strong threat from Leader of the Opposition Yuri Alemao on Friday. Alemao called for prompt government intervention, pointing out the serious risks these activities represent to the environment and public health.
When Cuncolim people found trash from fish meal units running into the Ambaulim River, they became aware of the problem. While visiting the scene, Quepem Congress MLA Alton D’Costa called for immediate action, citing the pollution’s effects on Cuncolim as well as water bodies inside his area.
The unmanaged pollution incited the villagers’ wrath, and they accused the administration of neglecting the situation. Alemao accused the BJP government of turning a “Nelson’s Eye” to the problem despite it being brought up in the Assembly and criticized them for not doing more.
