NT Reporter
Panaji
Villagers of Navelim, Bicholim, have raised apprehension over the Rs 763.4 crore ethanol project of Centreal Biofuels Ltd, proposed at the Navelim Industrial Estate in Sankhali, saying it is likely to cause pollution.
A public hearing for the project was conducted by the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) on Friday. Villagers questioned the waste disposal plan, sought assurance of jobs for locals, and flagged potential air pollution from coal that will be transported to the factory for use in the boiler. Villagers also pointed to the sparse attendance at the hearing, saying the company failed to create adequate awareness about the event. Only 33 residents attended the meeting, of whom 16 spoke.
Former Pale MLA Pratap P Gauns said the project proponent should be required to submit an affidavit guaranteeing 80 per cent jobs for locals. He said the EIA report makes no mention of five temples and three schools located near Maina village and added that the company has not disclosed the source of the agricultural produce that will serve as raw material for the project.
“Previously, the industrial estate had two units which shut down suddenly, leaving villagers without jobs. There were cashew plantations and water bodies which were affected by the operations of the previous units,” said former deputy sarpanch of Maina-Navelim, Digambar A Naik, who added that he was not opposing the project.
Resident Nilkant Gawas said that the road from Sankhali to Kotambi lacks the transport infrastructure required for heavy vehicles carrying material to the site.
