The action by Saligao villagers against open trucks carrying garbage not only reflects the angst of the affected people but also goes to show the carelessness of authorities, including the Minister for Solid Waste Management Michael Lobo, towards their plight.
Twenty-seven panchayats are transporting their garbage for treatment at the Saligao plant. In the absence of any monitoring system, uncovered trucks wend their way through Saligao, mostly spilling leachate along the roads raising an unbearable stench. Rules mandating covering of garbage trucks and fixing leachate tanks have been thrown to the wind and it was only this forceful action of villagers that prompted Lobo to act and set a deadline.
Not in my backyard has become a norm in villages which are dumping their garbage in areas outside their jurisdiction.
Villagers far and wide who have failed to set up garbage treatment units in their respective areas must respect the living conditions of Saligaokars. It’s their village, homes and lives that are getting affected by garbage of some other village or town. Imagine the plight of students who hurry off to school or the senior citizen who embarks on his morning walk through queues of open garbage trucks which emanate foul odour. Lobo must ensure strict monitoring of trucks at various check-points en route to Saligao and those flouting norms must be penalised. All the talk about the state-of-the-art garbage treatment facility and the odourless functioning means nothing to the villagers if their daily lives are affected in the process.
The Solid Waste Management minister must factor in the aspect of transportation and put necessary monitoring mechanism in place. Sixteen trucks were stopped from entering the garbage treatment site by villagers. Why were trucks allowed to have a free run to the plant all this while, despite the fact they were creating a nuisance to the area? Why did everyone turn a blind eye? Is this the kind of Swachta and cleanliness we showcase?
The Saligao situation sets a bad precedent for the proposed Bainguinim plant which is in the vicinity of heritage sites and major tourist attractions. Litter and stench of this sort across the roads leading to Old Goa will further dent the tourism image of the State. And the case will be no different in the other two sites -- Cacora and Verna. Villagers will protest and officials will have to face the brunt.
Surprisingly, there is no seriousness on the issue despite a full-fledged Solid Waste Management department in place. The garbage menace should be nipped in the bud and has to be tackled at the village level itself. Panchayats must be held responsible for issuing occupancies for mega real estate projects without the mandatory garbage treatment unit in place.
