the goan I network
MARGAO
Waste Management Minister Michael Lobo on Thursday made a strong case for the remediation of garbage dumps in Navelim and Rumdamol housing board, even as he announced that the government has proposed to set up a 250 tonne state of the art garbage treatment plant at the Verna Industrial estate, which is expected to treat the waste generated in the talukas of Salcete and
Mormugao.
Taking the platform of SARAS to announce the decision in the presence of Chief Minister Pramod Swant, the Waste Management Minister on Thursday said the state of the art plant will come up on land admeasuring one lakh sqmts, already acquired by the government.
“We have already acquired the land at the Verna Industrial Estate. Even the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report is under preparation,” he said, adding that the South Goa Collector will soon hold public hearings on the waste treatment
plant.
Sounding a word of caution, Lobo urged people to beware as politicians may try to put spokes in the proposed garbage treatment plant.
“If you fall prey to the machinations of the politicians, the proposed plant will hit a road block and will remain on paper,” he said, while seeking the cooperation of the people towards the setting up of the new plant.
“Don’t be carried away by the politicians. We have to look after the interest of the state,” he said, while saying the people should support good projects proposed by the government.
Lobo further urged the Chief Minister to take up work of remediation of several dumps dotting the villages of Navelim, Rumdamol housing Board and Aquem-baixo before any epidemic hits these villages.
“I was in South Goa entire Thursday and I came across a number of garbage dumps in these villages. Unless we remediate these dumps on the lines of the ongoing Sonsodo legacy dump operation, an epidemic can break out in these villages,” he said, while seeking support of the Chief Minister to the proposed remediation
project.
