MAPUSA
In the midst of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival, Mapusa has been hit by rising complaints of inconsistent door-to-door waste collection, prompting Chairperson Nutan Bicholkar to hold a crucial meeting on Thursday with municipal officials to address the issue.
With workers going on leave during the festival has severely impacted the waste collection process across several wards in the town.
Bicholkar directed engineers and supervisors to reshuffle the available workforce to restore normalcy to the waste collection system.
“We are working with limited staff due to the festival, but from Friday onwards, we expect things to improve as we have reorganised the workers,” Bicholkar said.
This disruption has become an annual problem, as most sanitation workers take leave during Ganesh Chaturthi, throwing the waste management system into disarray.
Despite being aware of the recurring issue, the civic authorities have struggled to find a permanent solution, leaving the town grappling with the same problem every year during the festival.
Several councillors raised concerns, reporting that garbage had not been collected in their wards for several days.
“For the past three days, no one has come to collect waste from the households in my ward. This happens every year during Chaturthi. The council needs a long-term solution,” said a councillor from the ruling group, who requested anonymity.
Sources within the municipal council revealed that in some wards, where seven workers are typically assigned for door-to-door waste collection, only two were currently on duty, further disrupting the system.
Councillor Shashank Narvekar noted that his ward had not been as severely affected, as waste collection was happening every alternate day.
"I was aware of this issue, so I worked out a plan with the supervisor to ensure collection didn't lag for more than a day," Narvekar said.
Bicholkar admitted that many workers had gone on leave without informing their supervisors, placing additional pressure on the skeletal staff still working.
The reshuffling of workers is expected to bring some relief, but the broader challenge of managing waste collection during major festivals remains unresolved.
