MAPUSA
The Pilerne-Marra Gram Sabha gave the local panchayat a go-ahead to impose door-to-door garbage collection tax.
The panchayat has already began the exercise of door-to-door waste collection in certain wards. The sarpanch told the Gram Sabha that all the garbage that is collected will be dumped at the Saligao waste dumping site.
In the last Gram Sabha, the panchayat had announced the purchase of a new vehicle, which would be used exclusively for garbage collection. The panchayat also hired four labourers to collect the door-to-door waste.
“All houses existing prior to 1990 will pay Rs 200, while houses in areas of Porvorim and Alto-Betim will have to pay Rs 365 per annum as garbage tax,” said a Sarpanch Amarnath Govekar. “Every rented room will also have to pay Rs 365 pa as tax for collection of waste,” he added.
According to the sarpanch, people staying on rent generate more garbage.
“So if an owner lets out five rooms on rent, he will have to pay Rs 365 for each of the room separately,” the sarpanch clarified. To query posed by Polly, a Gram Sabha member, about those houses that remain shut throughout the year, except for a month or so, the sarpanch said even those houses will have to pay the garbage tax.
The panchayat has allotted specific days of the week for certain areas. Waste from Marra will be collected on Mondays and Thursdays. Similarly on Wednesday and Saturdays garbage from Maina and Naiyati will be lifted. Maicavaddo, Savlem and Vol-vaddo have been allotted Tuesdays and Fridays.
The sarpanch has requested the villagers to segregate the dry and wet waste separately. “We need your help to tackle the garbage problem. Let’s try to keep our village clean,” the sarpanch appealed to the locals. A local, Constance Fernandes, requested the panchayat to impose Rs 500 as garbage tax for households that do not have or offer toilet facilities.
“There are many houses in our village that do not have toilets. Some have let out rooms for rent without toilet. Most of these people have converted the mountains and open spaces in the village as loos,” Fernandes said.
He said the mountains stink and the dirt could lead to serious epidemic in the village if authorities do not take adequate steps to control the menace of open defecation.
The sarpanch promised to inspect the areas along with a health official and conduct a survey to find, who has toilets and who doesn’t in the village.
An active member of the Gram Sabha, Peter Fernandes condemned the current government’s plan to go ahead with the same Regional Plan 2021 passed by the previous government in 2011 with correction.
He requested the panchayat to pass a resolution to denotify the Regional Plan, as has been done by various panchayats in Goa. The sarpanch, however, rejected the proposal saying that the panchayat has already sent its suggestions to the TCP department.
A local and President of Pilerne Citizens Forum, Prakash Bandodkar criticized the panchayat for allowing a Matka bookie to operate from the corridors of the panchayat building. Caught on the wrong foot, the sarpanch suggested that a complaint to the police would be the most appropriate action in the case.
The Gram Sabha approved Rs 2.79 crore budget for 2016-17.
