the goan I network
MARGAO
Wednesday will be D-day for the Margao Municipal Council on the burning Sonsodo issue.
The issue will reverberate in the High Court on Wednesday morning, while the South Goa district Court will resume hearing on Sonsodo later in the evening.
Fomento-MMC battle in S G district Court
With the two month time-frame granted by the district Court to work out a solution to the Sonsodo imbroglio ending on Wednesday, all eyes are focused on the Margao Municipal Council, more so given that the ground reality remains unchanged till date.
At the last date of hearing, the Municipal lawyer had sought time of two months to facilitate the Civic body to work out a solution, on grounds the High Powered Coordination Committee (HPCC) headed by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant will meet and solve the issue.
Take note, the HPCC headed by the Chief Minister had indeed met after the hearing, but nothing concrete has taken shape at Sonsodo till date.
While the HPCC had dispatched senior officials and Municipal Chairpersons to Delhi to inspect the functioning of the bio-methane plants and explore the possibility of setting up similar units in the commercial capital, these units are yet to take shape till date.
Sources in the know only say the Department of Urban Development has floated Expression of Interest to seek technical specifications, before floating the tender to set up these plants.
High Court issue
The Margao Municipal Council is expected to file its affidavit in the High Court on the feasibility of spaces, which were inspected by officials of various agencies last week to store dry waste generated during the remediation process.
With the villagers of neighbouring Raia bracing up for a protracted battle with the Margao Municipality in the event the Civic body decides to store the waste in the MMC acquired land falling in the village, sources in the know say the agencies have come to the conclusion that all the three places are not viable for storage of the waste, including the acquired land at Raia village, opposite Sonsodo, given that it is notified as green zone and will require time to change the zone for waste management.
Given the situation, MMC officials in the know pointed out that the Civic body and other agencies will file a common affidavit in the High Court, that the bio-remediation unit proposed by the Goa Waste Management Corporation be set up on the sidelines of the existing waste dump, and also explore the possibility of seeking NOCs of adjoining private land owner for temporary storage of the waste.
