He also came down heavily on Citizens for Sonsodo, urging members of the group not to make politics out of the waste issue. He further said that members of the Citizens for Sonsodo have now joined politics and reminded them of his commitment to solve the mess.
Addressing the media, Reginaldo said that the sub-committee on Sonsodo waste management has so far not taken any decision on capping of the dumpyard, adding that he is firmly against any move to cap the site.
When questioned about his decision to inspect the Saligao waste dumpyard, almost a year after the High Powered Coordination Committee had decided to engage GSUDA as a nodal agency to carry out the bio-remediation work, he said his visit should not be interpreted as one to support capping of the site. “I had suggested inspection of the Saligao site before GSUDA awards the work order to the Delhi-based company. I have no issue which company takes up the bio-remediation work as long as they complete the work at Sonsoddo,” he said.
Replying to a question, he said people of Curtorim have suffered the brunt of Sonsodo over the years. “It’s not just the foul odour, but underground water has been contaminated,” he said, while demanding to know reasons behind the site turning from bad to worse each passing day.
