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CHIMBEL, 70 ILLEGAL BORE WELLS & WATER SCAMS
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CHIMBEL, 70 ILLEGAL BORE WELLS & WATER SCAMS

May 02- May 08, 2026, Stray Thoughts May 1, 2026 , by

AND a few stray thoughts for yet another Saturday. For a Saturday following the week when thanks to a young lawyer fighting her first public interest matter, it has been revealed that there are 70 bore wells in the Dharwadkar colony in Chimbel. For a Saturday following the week when the Porvorim highway project coming home to roost. For a Saturday following the week when the shocking report that a daily wage semi-literate worker in Orissa had to cart the body of his dead sister to the bank to proof she was dead. For a Saturday following the week when on social media companies stealing the content of local content producers, particularly from the print media and online publications.
 AND a few stray thoughts on thanks to a young lawyer fighting her first public interest matter, it has been revealed that there are 70 bore wells in the Dharwadkar colony in Chimbel. All the 70 bore wells are reportedly illegal. The bore wells are not meant for solely for meeting the drinking water needs of the people living in the complex.
It is apparently a huge water tanker racket. The Goa bench of the Bombay high court has expressed horror over the concentration of 70 illegal bore wells in a small village like Chimbel. The irony is that those living in the Azad Nagar sprawling slum in Chimbel get very little or no PWD water.
Understandably, Goan Judge Valmiki Menezes wondered about how many illegal bore wells there are across Goa? It is now established that the overwhelming majority of the tower blocks ranging from Ocean Park in Dona Paula to Violetta Towers in Dabolim have come up despite not having PWD water connection. It is believed that the huge housing and commercial projects on the Kadamba plateau have been given a No Objection Certificate on the claim by the builders that they would make their own arrangements for drinking water supply.
This inevitably meant they’re digging illegal bore wells or depending on tankers which also depend on bore wells. The PIL was filed by the Village Development Committee of Chimbel represented by young Ana Gracias and advocate Sahil Sardessai. The bore wells have been sunk over the past ten years and the water from these bore wells is being pumped through a network of pipes and transported through tankers.

PROVORIM HIGHWAY WOES
AND a few stray thoughts on the Porvorim highway project coming home to roost. Among those who are worst affected are the residents of the Town Planning Colony in Porvorim, near Majestic Hotel. Employees of the Town & Country Planning Department allotted themselves land to build their villas along the National Highway No 66. The residents are now trapped inside their own homes due to the ongoing construction of the six-lane Porvorim flyover.
 The PWD’s National Highway Division has shut down a section of the National Highway 66 between Neo Majestic Hotel and Gauri Petrol Pump till May 20, 2026. Apparently, the contractor did not inform the local residents about the elevated ramp. At least five homes including the Porvorim residence of the Brahama Kumaris have been cut off from the main road. There are many senior citizens living in the area whose access has been cut off. Amongst the senior citizens severely impacted is former district judge Nelson Britto. To quote Justice Britto, “This wanton destruction of a perfectly good highway begs the question of whether the government actually plans the so called developmental projects or just wants to create confusion everywhere. This senseless addition of a massive layer to an existing road in a residential area will cost untold hardship to residents and their health. The government has neither thought about it or does not care.”
Former chief reporter of the Legislative Assembly Oswald Pinto has pointed out that it is a very bad situation because local residents have not been notified. There is no proper signage. “We do not know which lane to use and which direction to go.” Another resident adds that overnight the existing road is being excavated and mud is being dumped. Imagine what would happen during the monsoon? Residents cannot sleep because the highway works go on all night.

DEAD SISTER GOES TO BANK!
AND a few stray thoughts on the shocking report that a daily wage semi-literate worker in Orissa had to cart the body of his dead sister to the bank to proof she was dead. The bank asked for proof that his sister was actually dead. The sister had a small account at the bank of about Rs39,000 and the bank was refusing to release the amount to her brother post-sister’s death.
We understand that acquiring both life and death certificates are an enormous nuisance even for the literate, let alone the semi-literate and illiterate. All retired government employees have to produce a life certificate every year to proof that they continue to be alive to be entitled to their pension. The form has to be signed by a government doctor. So much so senior citizens have to go about hunting for a doctor and go personally to the department they had retired from to keep their pension alive. Since government servants get very respectable pensions they have to go through this torture every year.
Death certificates are equally complicated to do. You cannot inherit either the money in fixed deposits in the banks or even property which may be part of your legitimate inheritance unless you provide a death certificate. The death certificate can alone be issued by the municipality or the panchayat of the area you are a resident of. In Panjim or Panaji for instance the Corporation of the City of Panaji issues the death certificate.
You need the death certificate even to conduct the last rites of the deceased. Neither the Hindu crematorium nor the Catholic Church will accept a body unless there is a death certificate. It would save a lot hardships all around to everyone concerned, if parents divide their property during their lifetime . Moreover, they should create a joint account and put their fixed deposits in joint names. Parents of course must retain their control over both their ancestral house and their bank deposits, bringing in their children as co-holders and not as exclusive beneficiaries. Parents need to protect their own interests first as even the creator of the Raymond brand industrialist Vijaypat Singhania bitterly regretted having transferred all his assets to his son Gautam Singhania while he was still alive.

SOCIAL MEDIA CHICANERY
AND a few stray thoughts on social media companies stealing the content of local content producers, particularly from the print media and online publications. Social media claims that individual and media companies can earn a lot of money from creating content. People who post UTube videos are also promised huge rewards. All this is a scam as we have personally experienced. You may get a million views but you are not permitted to monetize your own contents. All social media platforms have become multimillion revenue sources for Meta, Instagram, Facebook and even WhatsApp. All platforms are full of commercial promotions. Doctors who want to scare people into consuming pharma products also advertise themselves on social media. Australia has taken the initiative to force social media platforms to pay local content creators. Legislation is being passed, fixing the rates at which content creators, including local print and online media have to be compensated — for content used by social media platforms.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH
AND a last stray thought on the public interest litigation filed by the Enough is Enough movement. The movement had filed a case against the new 120-feet Deltin Casino vessel coming into the Mandovi river. It is clear now from court proceedings that the government is fully backing the casino owner. Advocate general representing the government claimed that Enough is Enough movement had filed its petition on the eve of the monsoon. That the permission to the casino had been given more than two years ago.
 The truth however is that the permission given was kept totally secret. News of the giant casino vessel became public only when the owners tried to park it in the Mandovi river, recently. Unlike the PILs filed by Goa Foundation, apparently not enough research was done by the Enough is Enough movement, which is ironically headed by a former chief justice. Their outside counsel does not seem to be familiar with the history of casinos in Goa.

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