Gasification plant may cut workload; Rs 6.53 cr waste collection estimate under review
File photo of one of the black spots in Margao.
MARGAO
When the Margao City Fathers meet on Monday for a meeting, they have a clear agenda at hand – to decide on the question of seeking approval from higher authorities to prepare estimates for floating a fresh tender for outsourcing door-to-door collection of Municipal solid waste across the 25 wards, with the existing contract due to expire in July 2026.
However, the move has sparked a larger debate within civic circles. Residents and officials alike are raising a key question: Will the Council revise the current estimates—pegged at around Rs 6.53 crore—before proceeding with a new tender? The amount is presently paid to two agencies handling waste collection operations.
The discussion gains significance in light of the Council’s upcoming commissioning of Rs 7.5 crore gasification plant at Sonsodo. The facility, currently undergoing trial runs, is expected to process mixed waste, including garbage dumped at black spots and open spaces across the city.
This development has led to questions about the scope of work assigned to the existing contractors—Bapu Environmental Social Service Organisation and the Green Globe Self-Help Group. According to municipal officials, the Rs 6.53 crore expenditure covers not only door-to-door waste collection but also the clearing and handling of waste from black spots.
With the gasification plant designed to treat mixed waste without the need for segregation, officials believe the workload of the contractors could reduce significantly. This, in turn, has prompted calls for a reassessment of the current cost structure.
“If the gasification plant handles mixed waste from black spots, it will certainly bring down the workload of the contractors. The Council should deliberate on this and consider revising the estimates before seeking government approval for a fresh tender,” a senior official said.
The issue is now expected to come up for discussion among the Council’s decision-makers, as they weigh the financial implications of the new waste management infrastructure against existing contractual commitments.
High waste collection costs raise eyebrows in Margao
MARGAO: Strange as it may sound, the issue of outsourcing door-to-door waste collection in Margao has often seen councillors across party lines granting approval with little or no detailed discussion.
This pattern has come under scrutiny as the annual expenditure on waste collection—paid to two private contractors—has crossed Rs 6.5 crore under the existing agreement. The contractors, Bapu Environmental Social Service Organisation and Green Globe Self-Help Group, have frequently been commended by the Margao Municipal Council for their services in managing door-to-door garbage collection.
However, sources within civic circles have begun raising serious questions about the high payments being made and whether the expenditure is justified. Concerns are being voiced over whether the city has remained consistently clean and waste-free despite the significant outlay.
Further, questions have been raised about the basis on which these payments are calculated. Officials are being asked whether the payments are linked to the number of workers deployed by the contractors, and if so, whether there is any robust mechanism in place to verify the actual manpower engaged in the field.
Sources pointed out that former Chief Officer Rohit Kadam had, at one point, ordered a physical headcount of workers employed by the contractors to ascertain the accuracy of manpower claims. This has led to renewed calls for stricter monitoring and verification.
In addition, doubts have been expressed over whether civic authorities have cross-checked employment data with the Provident Fund Organisation to verify the number of workers officially registered by the agencies for waste collection in the city.
