the goan I network
MARGAO
Conceding that Sonsodo poses a big challenge for all the stakeholders to address the decades old issue, Deputy Chief Minister Vijai Sardesai said the government is in touch with various people to ascertain how to go about resolving the imbroglio as part of a long-term solution.
Committing government’s support to the Margao Municipal Council to overcome a host of issues relating to logistics and infrastructure, the Deputy CM has said the MMC should extend the door-to-door waste collection to all the 25 Municipal wards on top-most priority either by engaging the same agency or by roping in a new player.
During an interaction with the media on the sidelines of a programme at the Ravindra Bhavan, Margao, on Wednesday, Sardesai expressed his satisfaction that the authorities have finally capped the fire and smoke at Sonsodo on World Environment Day.
He, however, said that the stakeholders, including the government and the MMC, are facing a big challenge how to resolve Sonsodo as part of a permanent solution. “We need a long term solution for Sonsodo and it has to come quickly. What happened at Sonsodo was unfortunate. It was not man made, but it has happened out of neglect for years now. This is not the government’s creation, but we have inherited the problem,” he said.
Saying that he is solidly behind the people demanding transportation of only segregated waste to Sonsodo, Sardesai said unsegregated waste should have no place at Sonsodo when the government policy is to compost the waste, adding “when the government hands over composting machines as a symbolic gesture, we expect the authorities to practice what they preach.”
When asked whether the enzymes have failed to douse the fire at Sonsodo, the deputy Chief Minister said, “The enzymes have not failed. It could not reach the middle of the dump. Enzymes help to kill the bacteria and contain foul odour. Since it could not reach the middle, the fire expert from Maharashtra recommended usage of mud.”
To another question, he said the idea of capping the site was ruled out since it would only mean spoiling the land for eternity. “We need a landfill site. Any process would generate inert waste and it should only go to a landfill site,” he added.
When his attention was drawn to complaints from the MMC that the government has till date not provided logistics such as waste collection bins, he said, “I am the state’s Deputy CM and the council should have approached me if they had any problem.”
While sympathizing with the people demanding segregated waste at Sonsodo, Sardesai said unsegregated waste from Salcete also finds its way to Sonsodo, adding that the problem cannot be solved by blaming each other, but a long-term solution was needed.”
Meanwhile, firemen and MMC workers capped a small fire and smoke that emanated at the Sonsodo dump yard on Wednesday evening at the base of the site. Fire officials said the fire and smoke originated at the base of the dump since the site is being capped with mud.
