Panaji: North Goa collector Ankit Yadav has issued an order directing that all stone quarries and open pits be fenced within 30 days to prevent deaths. All the owners and lease holders of the quarries have to be asked to submit compliance reports within the stipulated time, after which the mamlatdar and talathi have to verify whether the quarries have in fact been fenced.Yadav said that the North Goa Disaster Management Authority is concerned about serious injuries and loss of lives reported in and around abandoned and disused quarries. Every monsoon, Goa witnesses incidents of drowning at waterfalls, abandoned quarries, and unmanned water bodies.
“Such abandoned quarries pose a grave and continuing threat to human life, livestock and public safety, particularly during the monsoon season due to water accumulation, slippery terrain and reduced visibility,” said Yadav in the order.Quarry owners and operators have been asked to erect barbed-wire fencing and other barriers along the periphery of the quarries to prevent unauthorised entry. Clear warning signs also need to be fixed along the fencing.The compliance report needs to be accompanied by self-certification, site photographs and the location of the quarries concerned.The mamlatdar has been authorised to conduct physical inspections of abandoned quarries, verify compliance, record findings, and then submit an inspection report to the collector’s office within 45 days.Non-compliance, partial compliance or false reporting shall attract penal action, including fines or imprisonment. If the quarry owner or lease holder fails to put the safety measures in place, the collector’s office will install the required fencing and recover the cost as arrears of land revenue from the defaulting owner or occupant of the land.
