Gandhi Jayanti marked the third anniversary of the Swachh Bharat Mission. It's not only about fulfilling the avowed objective of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to flush out open defecation by 2019, but also time to introspect into the three years of this mission. It's not only time to look at what India and Goa as a State has achieved, but what needs to be done moving forward from here.
Open defecation may not be a big issue in Goa but garbage certainly is. Piles of garbage continue to litter every nook and corner of the State while nothing significant has been achieved in terms of disposal systems barring the segregation of waste and the setting up of a lone garbage treatment plant at Saligao.
Interestingly, Goa marked the third anniversary of Swachh Bharat Mission in distinctive style. Around 360 employees of the Secretariat put down their pens on September 23 and picked up brooms to clean up designated areas within the limits of the Corporation of the City of Panaji. Employees and officers working at the Secretariat, including the additional secretary, joint secretary, undersecretary and section officers were involved in cleaning the premises of the CCP building, the ground floor of the Collectorate building and the Church Square. But these are not the areas where our Nitol Goem mission lies. Nothing can be achieved in token exercises like these which are targeted only for public consumption. We need to look beyond these symbolic one-day stunts.
Goa can be a model State for Swachh Bharat mission as it is geographically small besides being a tourist destination and also because the standard of living in Goa is much higher in comparison to most other states. Goans understand the seriousness of tackling garbage and that makes the task simpler. We know that garbage is not a one-time problem and it continues to pile up round the clock in every village and city. We need to understand the smaller issues and address them first.
Infrastructure needs to match the requirement to tackle open defecation. There need to be adequate toilet facilities at places where there are thousands of people moving in and out, like our bus stations and beaches. Without providing the required infrastructure, the task of tackling open defecation will always be an unfulfilled dream.
The focus should shift to the ground-level worker. There need to be full-time employees to handle garbage and not contract staff. Workers need to be regularised and adequate safety measures have to be put in place to take care of their health. Moreover, every Goan should understand that the garbage issue is a collective civic responsibility.
The Saligao garbage treatment plant has been a huge success, while the proposed Bainguinim project is moving at a snail's pace and similar project plans in Curchorem and Verna in South Goa are literally stuck. For a tourist State like Goa where garbage continues to be an eye-sore, this should have been a top priority.
