The fight against Bainguinim waste treatment plant is far from over. A day after the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority issued an environmental clearance, Old Goa locals went into a huddle. They decided to take legal recourse and challenge the green nod. The terms and conditions of the EC are clear on segregation, sorting and transportation of waste, but there are several grey areas when it comes to operations.
The major contention was the narrow road access to the plant which vends its way through residential areas. The EC states that there should be at least one more access to the proposed site. Again, the government has failed to convince people of an alternative access. Optional entry or exit points is a key concern because the government will find it tough to negotiate with agitated residents and open up a second route.
The EC has also stated that transportation of waste has to be carried out in trucks which have leachate collection facility. The uproar in Saligao is precisely because of this and residents have gone to the extent of blocking trucks from entering the area because they couldn’t bear the stench and foul odour enveloping the air.
The government has invited the wrath on itself because it failed to create a buffer zone despite notifying the area in 2009. Rampant constructions continued to mushroom along the area due to the uncertainty of the garbage plant site. The area which has now turned into a prime locality has nearly 1,400 residences, a mutt and also a premier school. People have begun to feel the discomfort of having a garbage treatment plant in their midst.
In the absence of a Plan B, Bainguinim appears to be the only site that could bail out Tiswadi and Ponda of its garbage woes. But again, that means garbage trucks from Ponda will have to pass via the Old Goa heritage sites. In the absence of an alternate route, this could be a nuisance along a major tourist spot.
The Bainguinim revolt once again brings to the fore the distrust of the powers that be. A feeling of betrayal has crept in because people feel that crucial areas of concern raised by them at the July 2019 hearing are not addressed. A garbage plant is the need of the hour, but it cannot go against the will of the locals. The local MLA Pandurang Madkaikar and the Old Goa Panchayat have been backing the people. Minister for Solid Waste Management Michael Lobo cannot bulldoze his way without discussing the plan of action.
The Bainguinim project is a classic case of why people are opposing public hearings. If we may recollect, it was the people’s power that forced the postponement of the public hearing on Nauxim Marina and earlier the coastal plan. Despite repeated pleas of ministers concerned, people have turned their backs to these hearings, indicative of distrust. Engaging the people of the land impartially and transparently is very crucial for rebuilding trust.
