MARGAO
Government’s failure to convene a meeting of the High Powered Coordination Committee (HPCC) to resolve the Sonsodo mess came in for sharp criticism from Congress MLA Reginaldo Lourenco and Goa Forward Chief Vijai Sardesai, with the duo laying the blame at the doorsteps of the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.
Sardesai went a step further to sound a warning to the Margao Municipal Council not to go ahead with the opening of the tender for the two biomethanation plants when the government on the floor of the House had assured to consider the Goa Waste Management Corporation’s proposal to set up seven such plants at Sonsodo.
The two MLAs said it is sad that the promise made by the Chief Minister on the floor of the House to convene a meeting of the HPCC by February 10 was not honoured by the government when citizens of Margao, Fatorda and Curtorim were looking forward for the meeting to resolve the Sonsodo mess.
“It was a big surprise that the HPCC meeting announced by the Chief Minister has not taken place. The Chief Minister, who has in the past virtually sold Goa’s interests on Mhadei, should honour his word and take a decision on Sonsodo,” demanded the Fatorda MLA.
While saying that bio-remediation of the Sonsodo legacy dump is underway, Sardesai said the main issue that needs to be resolved is regarding the setting up of the biomethanation plants. “The Urban Development Ministry cannot direct the Margao Municipal Chief Officer to take a call on the biomethanation plants when it has been decided on the floor of the House to go for the seven biomethanation plants,” Sardesai said, while questioning the government’s rationale in issuing instructions to the MMC to take a particular stand.
Meanwhile, Curtorim MLA Reginaldo Lourenco in a letter addressed to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that despite the Assembly assurance to his Starred LAQ 005A, no HPCC meeting to be chaired by the Chief Minister on Sonsodo garbage dump has been held till date.
Saying that the assurance on holding HPCC before February 10 was given by the Chief Minister on the floor of the House, Reginaldo lamented that the MMC is still unaware and walking in the dark on any such HPCC meeting, which is supposed to solve the tangle of biomethanation plants for Sonsodo garbage dump between the Goa Waste Management Department and Urban Development Department.
While making an appeal to the Chief Minister to call the HPCC meeting immediately, Reginaldo reminded the Chief Minister that the dark legacy of the past has affected severely the health and the wellbeing of the residents of Curtorim constituency and the neighbouring constituencies. “I request you not to give empty promises on both the floor of the House and outside the Vidhan Sabha on any issue or challenges confronting Goa and Goemkars be it Sonsodo garbage dump because people of Goa are losing trust on us the elected representatives,” the Congress MLA stated in his letter.
