Housing society fined for polluting fields

The Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) has directed the management of a housing society — Models Legacy — located at Borbhat, Taleigao, to deposit Rs 1 lakh as compensation for damaging the environment by discharging polluted waste water from its residential complex into nearby fields. The order states that the management of Models Legacy Cooperative Housing Maintenance Society Ltd, Taleigao, must pay the compensation within seven days, and that failure to comply would invite stringent legal action. Officials had conducted an inspection at the premises on December 10 last year following a complaint by a local activist, Xavier Almeida. The board then issued a showcause notice to the management of the society. The board, in its order, stated that the amount should be spent for the “restoration of the environment”.