MARGAO
A day after 'The Goan' highlighted the waste issue plaguing the SGPDA retail fish market, miscreants set fire to the tonnes of waste dumped around the market periphery.
Margao fire brigade rushed to the SGPDA facility on Monday noon after receiving a call and found the waste mound engulfed by a major fire. It took considerable time for the firemen to bring the fire under control.
Damaged baskets, thermocol boxes and other mixed waste were set afire at the spot. It was apparent that miscreants had set the waste on fire as evident by the fact that they chose to carry out the act during the afternoon when shoppers do not visit the market.
This is not the first time that waste dumped in the market periphery has been disposed of by burning. Firemen recalled that the Margao fire brigade had in the recent past responded to fire and emergency calls in the SGPDA retail market.
The moot question, however, remains unanswered “ will the SGPDA and the Margao Municipality find out a mechanism to address the issue of burning of waste plaguing the retail market? The SGPDA had in the past contended that the waste is dumped along the market periphery by unknown persons, adding that the PDA is in no way involved in the waste-dumping activity.
The Margao municipality, on the other hand, pointed out that since the waste is found dumped within the market complex, efforts should be made to segregate the waste to facilitate the civic body to lift away the waste.
