MARGAO
As garbage-laden trucks head to Saligao with the Sonsodo waste, the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) and the powers that be controlling the civic body may have to answer a simple question “ what has the civic body done to treat the daily wet waste generated in the commercial since Fomento handed over the plant and machinery to the civic body in 2020?
It’s a sheer coincidence that the MMC is still struggling to handle the city waste even after three years when Fomento Green handed over the waste treatment facility in public interest to the civic body on February 20, 2020.
Consider this: On February 20, 2020, MMC officials led by then Chief Officer Ajit Panchwadkar took over the Sonsodo plant and machinery from Fomento representatives in the civic body, with a promise to tide over the situation at Sonsodo.
On the very same day, then Chief Secretary Parimal Rai, Director of Municipal Administration Dr Tariq Thomas, South Goa district Collector Ajit Roy, Goa Waste Management Corporation Managing Director, Levinson Martins, besides officials of the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) and MMC Chief Officer Ajit Panchwadkar had descended at Sonsodo to gather first-hand information on the situation at Sonsodo.
Reason? Chief Minister Pramod Sawant was to chair a meeting of the High Powered Coordination Committee (HPCC) the next day on February 21 to chalk out the future course of action at Sonsodo.
Since the last three years, Sonsodo has played host to similar visits by ministers, MLAs and senior officials handling waste management, dishing out promises to resolve the waste imbroglio. Sadly, the MMC has miserably failed to treat even a kilogram of the over 40 tonnes of daily wet waste generated in the commercial capital in the last three years.
Consider this. During the last three years, the Sonsodo waste management shed had saturated with waste for want of treatment worth its name. Twice, the piled-up waste has been carted out of the shed in the last three years to make space for fresh waste. The shed has played host to fires and smoke in the last three years due to the generation of methane gas inside for want of waste treatment.
The ground reality shows the civic body has only deployed JCB machinery to push the daily wet waste inside to make space for fresh garbage, so much so, the walls of the imposing Sonsodo waste management shed crumbled twice last year due to the accumulated waste.
Waste Management Minister's visit to Sonsodo
The visit of Waste Management Minister Atanasio Monserrate to Sonsodo did raise hopes of a turnaround post the 2022 Assembly elections. A high-level meeting at Sonsodo chaired by Monserrate not only unveiled a road map for a permanent solution to imbroglio but put in place how to go about the job till the two bio-methanation plants take shape in 18 months.
As per the understanding, the Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) was entrusted with the task to prepare estimates to treat the daily waste and refurbishing the Sonsodo waste management shed pending the setting up of the two bio-methanation plants.
Sadly, it’s now months since the GWMC had dispatched the estimates to the MMC, amounting to Rs 14-odd crore, but the civic body is still seeking administrative approval for the two projects “ to rope in a contractor to treat the daily waste, to refurbish the waste management shed and to build the approach roads to Sonsodo.
Proposals pending with Urban Development Ministry
Question Margao Municipal Council officials over the reasons behind the delay in tendering the three projects at Sonsodo to handle the day-to-day waste treatment and the fingers are pointed at the government for withholding the approvals.
Civic officials in the know concede in private that the tender process could not be set in motion for want of administrative approvals for the three projects ” to rope in a private contractor to treat the daily waste, refurbish the shed and build the Sonsodo road.
Incidentally, the MMC is flush with funds under the 14th & 15th Finance Commission, but the civic body could not utilize it for garbage management for want of the mandatory government approvals.
A municipal official pointed out that the civic body has now pinned its hopes on Congress-turned-BJP Margao MLA Digambar Kamat to get the government to accord the necessary approvals for waste management. Kamat has promised to hold a meeting with the Urban Development Secretary and Director of Municipal Administration in the coming week, but officials keep their fingers crossed over the government giving the much-needed nod to take up the garbage management projects in the commercial capital.
