MARGAO
An "undecided" Margao Municipal Council will seek guidance from the High Powered Coordination Committee (GPCC), chaired by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, regarding the approach to be taken for garbage management at Sonsodo “ whether to opt for a 15TPD biomethanation plant or a 10TPD gasification plant.
This was made apparent on Wednesday when the MMC presented before the High Court during the hearing of the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Citizens for Sonsodo through its Secretary Roque Mascarenhas that the civic body needs some time to make a decision on the technology to be adopted at Sonsodo for waste disposal.
The submission by the MMC holds significance, especially in light of the fact that the Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) has proposed a 15TPD bio-methanation plant at Sonsodo, while the Goa Energy Development Agency (GEDA) has suggested a 10TPD gasification plant for the Margao Municipal Council.
The MMC's submission comes as the civic body has temporarily resolved the garbage management crisis by sending its daily wet waste, approximately around 30 tonnes per day, to the Cacora Waste Management Plant for disposal.
An examination of the affidavit filed by Margao Municipal Chief Officer Gaurish Sankhwalkar before the High Court reveals that the civic body has requested additional time to deliberate on how to manage the city’s waste.
“The council requires some time to decide on the matter due to a subsequent technology proposed for being used at Sonsodo for waste disposal by another Government agency named Goa Energy Development Agency (GEDA) and also in view of use of Carcora Waste Management facility for waste disposal. I say that appropriate decision in this respect will be taken by the Council in consultation with Goa Government’s High Powered Coordination Committee (HPCC), Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) and government agency Goa Energy Development Agency (GEDA),” the affidavit stated.
Following the GWMC's disclosure in its status report to the High Court that the Sonsodo waste management shed and equipment have not yet been repaired, the MMC has highlighted that the decision to repair them hinges on the technology chosen by the civic body for waste management.
"As for the repairs to the overhead crane, grabber feeding the trommels, and damaged screening mesh of trommels used for treating day-to-day waste, the matter will be brought before the High Powered Committee (HPC) overseeing the Sonsodo waste treatment facility for a suitable decision. These equipments were part of the windrows composting method used by the previous contractor. Now, the GWMC has proposed the use of alternative technology at the site, which, if implemented, may render this equipment unnecessary," stated the MMC Chief Officer.
Likewise, Chief Officer Sankhwalkar mentioned that the issue of repairs/modifications to the MSW shed and other equipment at Sonsodo, which are intrinsically linked to the technology to be used at the site, will be presented at the next meeting of the High Powered Committee (HPC), chaired by the Chief Minister, for appropriate decisions. Currently, a small portion of the shed is being utilised for segregating the collected wet waste, which is then transported to the Carcora Waste Management plant in specially designed vehicles of GWMC, as stated in the affidavit.
Clearance of bills to GWMC
The Margao Municipal Council has yet to clear transportation bills amounting to lakhs of rupees raised by Goa Waste Management over the past two months.
However, in the affidavit submitted to the High Court, the MMC Chief Officer stated that the bill for waste transportation by GWMC has been forwarded to the Director of Municipal Administration (DMA) for administrative approval. This approval is necessary to sanction the funds from those allocated under the 14th Finance Commission.
The Chief Officer has assured the court that payment will be processed promptly upon receipt of administrative approval from the DMA.
New transformer undergoing testing
The Margao Municipal Council has addressed the issue of the new transformer at Sonsodo in their affidavit filed with the High Court.
The Chief Officer confirmed that the civic body has deposited the required funds with the Electricity Department and it has already installed the new transformer.
The transformer is currently undergoing testing, which will determine its operational readiness. Once testing is complete, the transformer will be commissioned, providing a permanent electricity connection to the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) shed. The MMC is currently using a temporary connection.
