MARGAO
Village panchayats on Sunday drew Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s attention to the difficulties faced by the local bodies in identifying land to set up Material Recovery Facility (MRF) units to tackle the waste problem.
During an interaction with the Sarpanchas and Swayammitras from Velim constituency and Cuncolim during the programme “Government at the Public Doorsteps”, village panchayats pointed out that public objections to MRF have forced the local bodies to keep the proposals on hold.
Dramapur-Sirlim Sarpanch Sanjana Chari informed the Chief Minister how a site identified by the village panchayat to set up MRF is being opposed by people from the neighbouring village of Navelim.
Similarly, a couple of other sarpanchas also highlighted the issue of non-availability of suitable sites to set up MRF, including land owned by the comunidades.
After giving a patient hearing, the Chief Minister urged the people not to oppose just for the sake of opposing. He, however, has called for sustained awareness in the society of the benefits of MRF has in tackling the waste problem.
The Chief Minister appreciated the role played by the Swayammmitras in making Goa government’s dream of turning the state swayampurna. “These officers have been on the ground on Saturdays without any additional monetary benefits. Their presence at the panchayat level every Saturday over the last one year has helped the people to avail many a benefit of the various schemes”, he said.
After his attention was drawn that neither the sarpanch nor the members of a panchayat body has turned up for the programme, the Chief Minister sought to clear doubts that the government at the doorsteps is not a Congress or BJP programme, but an attempt to take the government to the doorsteps of the people. “I am surprised that not a single member of this panchayat has turned up for the programme. Are they not interested in development,” the Chief Minister asked.
Sarpanch of Assolna Xavier Almeida, Denicca Corriea (Sarpanch, Ambelim), Valentino Barretto (Dy Sarpanch, Chinchinim), Sanjana Chari (Dramapur-Sirlim), Miguel Gomes (Sarpanch, Sao Jose de Areal) were amongst those along with their swayammitras who briefed the Chief Minister during the interaction.
