MARGAO
The Margao Municipal Council has decided to keep on hold the ongoing tendering process to set up two biomethanation plants at Sonsodo in the light of the announcement made by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on the floor of the House that the government will call a meeting of the High Powered Coordination Committee (HPCC) on February 10 discuss all issues on Margao’s garbage handling and disposal.
The MMC had already opened the technical bid concerning the setting up the two biomethanation plants at Sonsodo and was scheduled to open the financial bids early this week to finalise the bidder to set up the plants and to issue the work order.
MMC Chief Officer, Agnelo Fernandes, however, said he has decided to keep the process on hold at least till February 10 when the HPCC meeting chaired by the Chief Minister is scheduled to take place.
When The Goan contacted the Chief Officer seeking to know the stand of the MMC on the setting up of the biomethanation plants in the light of the Chief Minister’s announcement in the House in the just-concluded Assembly session, he said the process has been kept on hold till the HPCC meeting.
“Since the Chief Minister has now given an assurance on the floor of the House to call a meeting of the HPCC to decide all issues concerning the biomethanation plants and garbage handling, let the High Powered Coordination Committee take a call on the plants,” he said.
In fact, sources say the Chief Minister’s announcement in the Assembly to convene the HPCC meeting on February 10 has come as a relief for the Margao municipal officials, who were caught in the crossfire between the Ministry of Urban Development headed by Milind Naik and Waste Management Ministry presided by Michael Lobo on the biomethanation plants.
While the MMC had decided to go ahead with the two biomethanation plants approved by the Urban Development Ministry, the same ministry had till date declined to accord approval for the seven biomethanation plants whose estimates were prepared and sent for administrative sanction by the Goa Waste Management Corporation headed by Michael Lobo.
In fact, the Waste Management Minister during his visit to Salcete earlier this month had made it clear that the GWMC will push the seven biomethanation plants after the municipal elections and after a new body assumes office at the Margao Municipal Council.
The biomethanation plants issue had taken the centre stage in the just concluded Assembly session after the Opposition charged that the project is now mired in controversy due to the tug of war between the Urban Development Minister Milind Naik and Waste Management Minister Michael Lobo.
The biomethanation plants project had kicked up a row over the estimates prepared by the GUSDA under the Urban Development Ministry and the Goa Waste Management Corporation. While the GUSDA estimated had pegged the cost of a biomethanation plant to Rs 2.39 crore, the GWMC estimate had put the cost of each plant at around Rs 4.80 crore.
