In the ongoing battle of one-upmanship between the ruling Cuncolim Municipal Council and the Chief Officer, the Municipal Standing panel on Tuesday informed Chief Officer Pandarinath Naik that the Council will reply to the notice served on the civic body by Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) for violating the waste segregation norms at the waste treatment plant.
At the Standing Committee meeting chaired by CMC chairperson, Lavita Mascarenhas, and attended by vice-chairperson, Mario Moraes, members Shashank Desai and Panzie Coutinho, the panel told the Chief Officer not to file any reply on behalf of the Council to GSPCB.
When the Chief Officer drew the Committee's attention that GSPCB has addressed the notice to him, threatening to invoke punitive action against him under the Environment Protection Act, he was told the Council will take care of the reply as well as the follow-up action.
It may be recalled that soon after taking over the reigns of office, the ruling CMC had told the Chief Officer to stay away from the Cuncolim waste treatment site, claiming that he had failed take effective measures towards the smooth running of the treatment plant, a claim rejected outright by Pandarinath Naik.
Meanwhile, in another resolution, the Standing Committee has resolved to utilise the balance amount of Rs 1.4 crore from the Golden Jubilee fund towards the construction of an urban health centre. After the meeting, both Lavita and Mario told The Goan that building an urban health centre from the Golden Jubilee funds will go a long way in making available health facilities to the people of Cuncolim.
