The following article appeared in today’s (9/2/2014)
oHeraldo:
Proposed
petrol pump fuels anger among Anjuna locals
By Gerard Lobo(bur...@herald-goa.com)
TIVIM: Storing large quantities of flammable liquid
in close proximity to residential areas has always been a matter of concern and
hence, moves to set up a petrol pump at Anjuna has fuelled sharp
reactions from residents in the area.
What has also angered locals is the unusually swift
response of the Anjuna Panchayat in granting a construction license barely 24
hours after the applicant submitted the documents.
“We don’t want the petrol pump in our area. This is
a residential area consisting of ancestral houses which are over 150 years old.
There are senior citizens and children living in the neighbourhood. The road is
very narrow and is an accident-prone zone. The petrol pump will only lead to
noise, smoke and dust pollution, while our wells could get polluted,” feared a
resident,
Ascension D’Souza.
Voicing similar apprehensions, another resident told
Herald that there are five wells located within a distance of 20-30 metres from
the petrol bunkers.
“If any incident takes place, our lives and our
homes will be wiped out. The residents of the area were not taken into
confidence. What is also surprising is that the Anjuna Panchayat approved the
construction license within 24 hours of submission, while it takes months to
approve of projects submitted by the locals.”
“A few days back, the JCB was seized by forest
officials after a local complained about illegal felling of trees, but
permission was given for the petrol pump,” the resident said.
When contacted, ward member Narayan Mayekar admitted
that the proposed petrol had divided the community, but claimed that the
Panchayat
had no option but to grant the construction license.
“Some people are against the petrol pump, while some
others are in favour. Since technical clearances were issued by all departments
concerned, we granted the construction license. Had we not given them the
license, the party could have approached the BDO or the court,” reasoned
Mayekar.
When contacted, Anjuna Deputy Sarpanch Savio Almeida
agreed that Panchayat had passed the license within 24 hours.
“In fact, it took us just five minutes to approve the
license. The file was submitted to the Panchayat on January 14, 2014, and was
passed the next day. The license was issued to the party on January 18. We
issued the construction license to the party, as all his documents are in order
and added that he had no intention to disrupt peace in the neighbourhood.”
“All departments concerned had inspected the site
and following their approval, the file was passed by Anjuna Panchayat. The IOC
is very strict in its rules and they will not hesitate to terminate the
contract if they happen to find any fault with the project, said Naik.”
“There is no pollution due to the petrol pump and
the wells are quite far away from the site. Health authorities inspected the
area and gave us their approval.”
I am a Goan and I want peace to prevail in the
neighbourhood. I obtained the permission of all departments, before deciding to
set up the petrol pump. I have even left the necessary setbacks on all sides of
the petrol pump as per the requirements of authorities concerned,” he added.
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COMMENTS:
We, the residents of Gaumvaddi, are doing our best and will fight tooth and nail
until installation of the petrol pump in our locality is stopped. As per the
Dy. Town Planner, the said property in Survey No.536/2 is
zoned as “Settlement Zone”, which is
a residential area. As such, it cannot be converted to set up a petrol pump, as
it is dangerous to life and property.
Suggestions, if any, which can help us succeed in this matter are
most welcome.
Moi-mogan,
Domnic Fernandes
Gaumvaddi, Anjuna
Mob: 8895237604