PANAJI
Facing mounting resistance from Opposition members and concerns raised by stakeholders, the State government on Thursday announced that the implementation of the proposed Deposit Refund Scheme (DRS) will be deferred by six months to one year, with the rollout to take place only after wider consultations and awareness campaigns.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant informed the State Legislative Assembly that the government has not notified any deadline for the scheme’s implementation and that the current phase is limited to awareness and stakeholder engagement.
“The government has not notified the date of implementation as yet. We are now into an awareness phase and it will continue for six months or even one year. Implementation will happen only after that,” Sawant said while responding to concerns raised by legislators during a Calling Attention motion.
The Chief Minister clarified that the government intends to begin the scheme on a pilot basis with glass bottles before expanding it further. He said the system will be implemented through the existing garbage collection network and rolled out in a phased manner.
Sawant also assured the House that the government will make detailed presentations to MLAs and panchayats across Goa to explain the scheme before it is implemented. “Even if the implementation happens after a year, we will start with glass bottles. The excise sector has agreed to come on board but they have sought time,” he said.
He added that the government does not want to implement the scheme hastily and later abandon it. “We don’t want to roll out the scheme completely and then dump it midway. Reverse Vending Machines (RVMs) will also be studied before implementation,” he said.
The Chief Minister stressed that the scheme would not impose any financial burden on the State and is aimed at reducing littering and improving waste management. According to him, around Rs 600 crore is spent annually on waste collection, segregation and disposal by various departments including Tourism, Panchayats, Municipalities and the Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC).
“Despite this expenditure, garbage dumps continue to be seen across the State. We need to adopt a futuristic approach to preserve Goa for future generations,” Sawant said.
The assurance came after Opposition members raised strong objections to the proposed scheme, even rushing to the well of the House and alleging that it could become a major scam if implemented without proper planning.
Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao expressed concern over the rollout of Reverse Vending Machines and warned that without proper awareness, training and orientation, the machines could remain unused. He urged the government to ensure proper ground-level implementation, including mandatory installation of such facilities in malls and departmental stores.
RGP MLA Viresh Borkar said that village panchayats were not consulted before proposing the scheme. “As many as 144 village panchayats are in the dark and do not know how the scheme will function. At a time of inflation, this will place an additional financial burden on the people,” he said.
Goa Forward Party MLA Vijai Sardesai alleged that the scheme could make Goa “a laughing stock” if implemented without adequate awareness and stakeholder confidence. He also claimed that industries estimate a transition cost of Rs 200–300 crore and warned that the scheme could lock up nearly Rs 400 crore of working capital.
AAP MLA Venzy Viegas questioned the refund mechanism, stating that consumers would need intact QR codes on containers to claim refunds and that Aadhaar and UPI linkage could make it difficult for tourists or foreign visitors to benefit from the system.
Former Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira, however, supported the concept of the scheme, stating that during his tenure a committee was formed which held meetings with industries and trade representatives. He noted that similar schemes have been implemented in several countries and suggested increasing the number of vending machines in each panchayat along with wider publicity to ensure its success.
