the goan I network
PANAJI
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Thursday announced that the biogas, which will be produced at the Saligao waste management plant, will be used to fuel 40 to 50 specially designed buses.
“The biogas which will be produced at the Saligao garbage disposal plant will be used to fuel 40 to 50 biogas buses within 6-7 months. We will soon receive a prototype of such a bus,” he stated.
The CM was speaking at an awareness programme on Swachh Bharat Mission organised at the Taleigao Community Hall by the Directorate of Panchayats and Goa Waste Management Corporation.
He called upon the elected panchayat representatives to wage a war against open defecation and garbage mismanagement in their wards. Once these sectors are organized, the government is likely to focus upon sewage treatment and management in panchayat areas, it was disclosed.
The state government is also considering a plan to finance a three-minute long video on garbage management which will then be screened at all multiplexes and movie theaters to create awareness among the public.
In addition to this, Parrikar announced that the state government is in the process of launching 237 biodigestor community toilets in panchayat areas.
“Each of these will cost around Rs 40,000 and will be made available at a nominal price in panchayat areas. Sewage will be treated automatically in these units,” he said while urging the gathering of panchas to prepare the requirement list in their panchayat areas. He also asked them to identify areas where the units can be stationed for four hours each day.
With the aim of introducing a system for waste management in panchayat areas, Parrikar also stated that his government intends to appoint certified waste service managers in the state. “It will be mandatory for hotels and other commercial garbage generators to hand over their garbage to these managers for disposal. Garbage managers will have to feed daily records into the online database and new techniques can be adopted,” he said.
The CM also disclosed his intention to travel to all panchayat areas in the state between June and August to verify the working of the new system, once it is introduced.
Meanwhile, Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho insisted that Saligao-like garbage treatment plants are also required at Cacora and Verna.
The Panchayat Minister also announced that the long pending 50 per cent hike in the remuneration paid to elected representatives in panchayats and zilla panchayats will be effective from April 1.
