MARGAO, May 23 -- Marcos Gonsalves

In a peculiar yet telling episode of civic oversight, nearly a dozen households near the old Model English High School in Margao have received show-cause notices from the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) for allegedly failing to connect to a sewage system - that, residents insist, doesn't even exist in their area.

The notices claim the households are discharging wastewater into storm drains, polluting nearby fields and Navelim's Salpem lake. Residents, however, are up in arms, calling the accusations unfair and absurd. "We're ready to connect to a sewage line, but where is it?" asked Antonio Pereira, a long-time resident. "The Sewerage Department told us there's no public sewer line here. How can we be b...