Panaji: Acting on the directives of the Bombay High Court, the Water Resources Department (WRD) sealed unauthorised borewells in Chimbel on Thursday. The operation was carried out in the presence of police, officials from the Public Works Department (PWD), and the local panchayat.
Local Residents Protest
The move stirred unrest among locals, particularly those from the Dharwadkar colony, who protested and attempted to stop government officials from sealing the borewells. According to the court order, there are 70 illegal borewells in the area, which officials said were drilled 20 to 25 years ago.
Water Resources Minister Subhash Shirodkar defended the action, stating, "When something is illegal, people should realise that either today or tomorrow, action will come. There is no question of issuing a notice. Do we issue a notice to a thief that we are coming to detain him? It is an illegal activity. When the court has given instructions, we have to close the borewells."
Residents Deny Allegations
Residents claimed they were not informed about the sealing and were given no opportunity to present their side. They refuted allegations that the borewells were being used illegally to supply water through tankers. "Government has lied that there are 70 borewells here. They said we are selling water. We don’t have water to drink; will we sell our water?" said an angry local man. He explained that tankers are unable to climb the steep slope to the colony.
Locals stated that although they applied for piped water connections, the PWD said that due to the gradient of the hill, water cannot be pumped up to the 45-odd homes in Dharwadkar colony. They also questioned the need for WRD officials to demolish the masonry structures built around the borewells, noting that the court order only called for sealing the borewells.
Minister's Response
Minister Shirodkar countered, "We have already sealed four to five borewells. These were being concealed under wooden logs to evade detection."
Political Intervention
Congress functionary Amit Palekar, along with residents of Dharwadkar colony, met the junior engineer of the drinking water department at Tonca and demanded immediate restoration of water supply to the colony. "The colony was not served notice. This sealing was done without hearing their side and without following the principle of natural justice. We will approach the High Court and ask for a sympathetic view on this matter," he said.
