PONDA: The Usgao Village Panchayat has resolved to revoke the NOC given for the construction of an extension project of MRF Company at Usgao, following pressure from locals at the gram sabha held on Sunday.
During the gram sabha the villagers strongly opposed the upcoming extension project of the MRF at Usgao, claiming that the project will increase pollution in Usgao and that the company has failed to provide employment opportunities for the youth despite its existence for more than 40 years.
Usgao locals have been opposing the company’s extension projects for the past few months and had also taken to the streets against the issue.
The villagers said that they are vehemently opposed to the project since the company does not employ locals, but recruits workforce from outside the State.
Out of the current 350 positions at Usgao, MRF has employed hardly eight locals, they complained.
According to villagers the new plant will be entirely operated by robots and as such no local will be given a job at the plant.
They complained that though it is the policy of the government that industries should provide 80 percent jobs to locals, the same has not been implemented in letter and spirit. They proposed that the government should conduct a survey on the number of locals employed in industries across Goa and put the information in the public domain.
The villagers also accused the government of sanctioning projects without determining the number of jobs it would create. The same way, the villagers allege, the MRF extension project was approved without extracting a promise from the company to provide jobs for the locals.
The villagers also complained that since coming to Goa in 1971, MRF has kept extending its unit in Usgao and the extension in 1990 had caused major health problems for the locals.
During the meeting, locals quizzed the local panch for giving NOC for the extension project. The panch in his defense stated that, MRF had agreed to give 80 percent job opportunities for the locals and had also promised development work in Usgao. So, based on this condition NOC was granted to MRF.
Considering the seriousness of the issue the deputy collector had ordered video recording of the meeting.