After Saligao & Calangute its now Socorro & Ucassaim at loggerheads

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Garbage dump: Socorro, Ucassaim at loggerheads
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Garbage is raising fresh stink in Bardez with the villagers of Ucassaim
strongly objecting to the dumping of garbage by the Socorro village
panchayat on the border of Ucassaim.

Although a joint meeting yesterday between the sarpanchas of
Ucassaim and Socorro before the director of panchayats ended with
the Socorro sarpanch, Ms Ditosa Lobo, agreeing to construct a
compound wall at the site, the Ucassaim sarpanch, Mr Cosme Martins
has threatened to go to court if the wall does not serve its purpose.

But yesterday afternoon, angry Ucassaim villagers and members
of the Ucassaim Civic and Consumer Forum stopped a pick-up
loaded with Socorro garbage that had come to the Ucassaim hill to
dump the garbage in a quarry there.

They also called the Mapusa police inspector, Mr C L Patil to the
site and voiced concern that the garbage dumping would cause
health problems in Ucassaim.

When contacted today, the Ucassaim sarpanch, Mr Martins
agreed that the garbage is being dumped on land belonging to the
Serula comunidade which has given its NOC to the Socorro
panchayat. Mr Martins however pointed out that the garbage is
being dumped partly on a slope and that in the rains, the
garbage will flow down through the nullah into Ucassaim village.

"We will see if the compound wall serves the purpose. Otherwise,
we will go the High Court. We have already shown the problem
to the Aldona health officer and also complained to the police,"
said the Ucassaim sarpanch.

He said he had written to the Socorro sarpanch about the problem
but she had not replied to his letter. Mr Martins said he would
also consult his MLA and Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Wilfred de Souza
and seek his advice.

The convenor of the Ucassaim Civic and Consumer Forum,
Ms Mathilda Rodrigues also expressed fear that the garbage dumped
on the hill slope would flow down and spread across Ucassaim village.
"The garbage dump is at a height, the garbage will come into our village.
We will write to the health officer, to the block development officer and
other authorities," Ms Rodrigues said.

Ms Ditosa Lobo dismissed the charges as "all politics". Ms Lobo
said the Serula comunidade has given the Socorro panchayat 2,500
square metre land for garbage disposal and cattle pound. "The land
is ours. We are in the process of acquiring it," she said.

Ms Lobo said that at yesterday's joint meeting before the director
of panchayats, an agreement had already been reached that
her panchayat would construct a compound wall to prevent the garbage
from flowing downhill. She said her panchayat would send the file
 for obtaining technical sanction and estimate preparation to the BDO
by Monday. She also said the garbage would be segregated.

If the government provides funds, the Socorro panchayat would arrange
for composting the garbage through outside agencies, Ms Lobo said.

But should the garbage flow down to Ucassaim, its panchayat is ready
to drag the Socorro panchayat to the High Court. And its villagers
and members of the Ucassaim consumer forum, mostly women,
are ready to march to the hill to stop the garbage-laden pick-ups.
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The Navhind Times 07/05/06 page 1
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