the goan I network
MARGAO
Bio-remediation of the approximately one lakh cubic metres of Sonsodo waste got underway at the dump yard on Tuesday, with TCP Minister and Fatorda MLA, Vijai Sardesai virtually justifying his decision to join the government, saying the project has seen light of the day after he made it into the Cabinet.
Since the plant has a capacity to screen around 400-500 tonnes of existing waste per day as the unit is expected to work for 10-12 hours a day, the TCP Minister has requested Chief Minister, Manohar Parrikar to requisition a second unit for the expeditious disposal of the waste mound.
Exuding confidence that the site will be clear before the 2019 Lok Sabha poll, the TCP Minister said the government will seek vote on the basis of the Sonsodo clearance.
While the site will be covered during the monsoon, the bio-remediation work will resume around December and will continue till May 2018.
The TCP Minister along with Curtorim MLA Reginaldo Lourenco, Margao Municipal Council Chairperson Babita Angle Prabhudesai, mMunicipal officials and citizens launched the work, which is expected to clear around 15,000 tonnes of waste before the onset of monsoons.
“This is our government’s first initiative in South Goa as part of our promise to tackle the mound. We are addressing the issue because it has been a long pending issue. People of Salcete have been suffering. This technology has been successfully used to clear the Saligao dump,” Sardesai told the media after launching the project.
“We have delivered because we have come together in the government. This should have happened long ago. To do this you have to be in the government. This has happened after I made it in the Cabinet,” he said, while thanking Curtorim MLA Reginaldo Lourenco for extending his cooperation for the project.
When asked whether the project will depend on the government’s political stability since there’s no independent tender floated for the Sonsodo bio-remediation project, Sardesai shot back, “The government has strong political stability. We had cleared the political garbage and now we are clearing the actual garbage. All codal formalities must have been compiled by GSIDC.”
The TCP Minister issued directions to the MMC to ensure that waste from the Fomento plant does not come on the existing waste.
“We have not encroached on Fomento Green’s work. All we are doing here is segregating the waste and saving the land for posterity,” he said.
Replying to a question, he said the inert waste will go for land-filling for parking and road works in his Fatorda constituency.
Curtorim MLA Reginaldo Lourenco said though he may have certain queries, the project needs to be given a chance, reminding that he had visited Saligao dump yard when attempts were made for capping of the site. Project supervisor Ganesh exuded confidence that 70 per cent of the existing waste dump will be cleared by next season.
