MAPUSA
With a lack of machines and adequate hands, the Mapusa civic body has been struggling with its waste collection in town.
The city fathers complained that mounds of thrash have been piling up in every nook and corner while the municipality was unable to send vehicles and labour in the wards to lift this garbage.
Some councillors have also said that pre-monsoon desilting work was not done properly as most drains remained choked after the first rains.
“Recently, when I requested the civic officials to clear the muck in front of the Mapusa church cemetery, the authorities told me that they have no labour. This indicates that the situation is quite bad. I had no other alternative but to put my own men to work to clear the place,” said Prakash Bhivshet, Independent councillor of Ward 20, who incidentally backs the ruling BJP group in the council.
He also said that the desilting work was not up to the mark as most drains got choked in the first rains.
The civic body has been facing an unusual problem with its garbage lifting vehicles as most of the trucks have either suffered a breakdown or were stuck in the garage as the municipality has failed to clear the mechanic’s fees.
Sources in the civic body informed that only three or four garbage trucks out of 11 were currently in operation.
“Garbage collection is irregular. They have stopped collecting waste dumped at the black spots due to a lack of vehicles. For the last three months, no labour has been posted in our wards to do clean-up work,” said Shashank Narvekar, councillor of Ward 5.
He further said that requests from councillors to the engineering department, chief officer and even the chairperson have fallen on deaf ears.
The problem has aggravated ever since the door-to-door garbage collection earlier outsourced to a private agency was discontinued in March.
“Earlier we were not facing this problem as garbage collection from ward 1 to 10 was outsourced to a private contractor and everything was going on fine. We have sent a new proposal to the Director of Municipal Administration (DMA) requesting outsourcing of garbage collection in all 20 wards,” said Ashirvad Khorjuvenkar, councillor of Ward 12.
Most councillors The Goan spoke to informed that they have been spending from their own pockets to clear waste in their wards.
