MARGAO
Less than a week after Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira inspected the controversial Margao Municipal Council’s bio-methanation plant at the SGPDA retail market, the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) has directed the Chief Officer of the Margao civic body to remain present before the GSPCB Member Secretary on December 1 to show cause why appropriate action under the provisions of the Air and Water Acts should not be initiated against him for the failure to comply with the Board’s directions, including the direction to obtain Board’s consent to operate the plant.
GSPCB in-charge, Sanjeev Joglekar has further directed the MMC Chief Officer to present status of the compliance by the civic body with the directions issued by the Board dated September 28 last.
The GSPCB has warned that failure by the Chief Officer to remain present before the Board’s Member Secretary and to satisfactorily show cause and submit the required compliance report will compel the Board to initiate stringent legal action against the officer under the provisions of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, without any further notice.
Issuing the directions under Section 33(A) of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and under section 31(A) of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, the GSPCB Member Secretary pointed out that an inspection carried out by the Board’s official on June 16 last had concluded that the digested slurry was seen to be discharged from the digested slurry bed through an opening at the rear side of the bed flowing into the fields located on the rear side of the bio-methanation plant.
“As per the gate passes produced at the time of inspection, the slurry has not been disposed through Night Soil Tankers since October of 2022 leading to the discharge into the fields. Leachate was also seen to be flowing from the waste loading area into the storm water drain located outside the premises,” the GSPCB Member Secretary stated in the show cause notice.
The GSPCB had in June last conducted an inspection of the bio-methanation plant following complaints that the 5TPD plant was discharging the slurry into the adjoining fields, causing environmental pollution.
Last week, the Environment Minister had conducted inspection of the bio-methanation plant after Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai complained of pollution and nuisance caused by the slurry discharged by the plant in the adjoining fields.
