Much of the energy of the Ponda Municipal council was wastedon trying to unsuccessfully tackle the garbage problem haunting the city.
Partly the PWD was responsible to stonewall the setting upof a garbage disposal plant, as the file pertaining to the waste treatmentplant was sent back seven times to the council, seeking clarifications.
It’s rather rare to see Congress-BJP combination, but PondaMunicipal Council has Rukmi Dangui, who belongs to the BJP, as the chairpersonsupported by six Congress councilors.
Since local MLA, Lavu Mamledar belongs to the MGP thecouncil may be paying a political price at the expense of development.
In the last four and half years of its term, Ponda MunicipalCouncil saw a change of five chairpersons, making it one chairperson everyyear.
Elections are due in PMC after completion of another sixmonths, but the council has nothing toshow in terms of development.
The council now blames “lack of funds” to lack ofdevelopment in the city.
“At the first council meeting in March 2008 the councilorsdecided to take the burning garbage issue as their first priority. But sincethen nothing has materialised on the garbage front. Most of the councillorswere involved in the game of musicalchairs to grab the post of chairperson,” Ponda MLA Lavu Mamlatdar said.
Other major issues dogging the council is the trafficcongestion, lack of parking facilities, narrow roads and market complex.
The council had proposed to erect a 30 metric tonne garbagedisposal plant at the cost of Rs 8.97 crore on its land at Kerye-Khandeparpurchased by the PMC way back in 2003-04. But “unnecessary queries” raised by the PWD then had delayed the project,PMC Chairperson, Rukmi Dangui said.
“The locals and some politicians including some councilorsblame the PMC for the garbage issue. Now we face the ire of people for noreason. We want to construct a waste plant at the earliest, but we lack thesupport of the PWD,” Dangui said
