Cuncolim: In a move that has reignited the pollution row in Cuncolim, the Deputy Collector and Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Salcete, has issued a conditional order against Quality Exports, a fish meal unit in the Cuncolim Industrial Estate, for allegedly discharging foul wastewater and garbage outside the IDC compound wall.
Acting on a report submitted by the Mamlatdar of Salcete on September 11, the SDM noted that wastewater ponds were found at several sites adjoining the unit, later covered with soil and mud. The report also pointed out the strong stench of rotten fish and garbage around the IDC boundary, creating serious inconvenience to residents and posing a health hazard.
Terming it a clear case of public nuisance under Section 152 of the BNSS, the SDM directed the company to remove the nuisance within eight days or appear in person on September 24 at 3 pm to explain why the order should not be made absolute. Failure to comply would invite direct enforcement action against the firm.
The order comes amid growing unrest in Cuncolim, where residents have long accused fish meal factories of flouting norms and discharging untreated effluents into adjoining fields and private lands. Earlier this month, locals caught the factory allegedly dumping waste in open areas before hastily covering it with mud at night. Mamlatdar, Talathi, and police officials had inspected the site following public outcry.
The Cuncolim IDC has been mired in controversy for years, with villagers insisting that authorities are turning a blind eye to repeated violations. One villager remarked that the stench makes life unbearable, but officials only act after protests erupt.
With the SDM’s order now in force, residents are watching closely to see if Quality Exports cleans up its act—or whether the government will finally crack down on what they call the ‘formalin mafia’ of Cuncolim.
