the goan I network
MARGAO
Waste Management Minister Michael Lobo’s ambitious garbage treatment plant for Salcete and Mormugao at the Verna Industrial Estate has run into rough weather with the proposal coming in for strong opposition from the villagers of Loutolim.
For the second time in the last two years, the Loutolim villagers have opposed the setting up of the waste treatment plant at the Verna industrial estate, bordering the village, on the grounds that the government is going in for centralized system of solid waste management when the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered de-centralization of the waste management system in every village.
After the Special gram sabha of the village adopted a resolution opposing the waste management plant at the Verna Industrial estate, Sarpanch Xavier Fernandes told The Goan that the panchayat would adopted the resolution and write to the all the authorities expressing the villagers’ strong objection to the proposed plant.
“Loutolim is in the process of resolving the waste problem with available resources. Likewise, the government should initiate steps to decentralize the waste management system in each and every village. Even NGT called for addressing the waste issue at the village level,” Xavier added.
He fully supported the gram sabha resolution, demanding that the government pursue a technically and environmentally-sound and historically-proven approach of decentralized waste management for the village.
“The panchayat will support the villagers and will got to any extent to ensure that the proposed plant does not come up existence at the Verna Industrial estate,” he added.
Opposing the proposed waste management plant, the Special gram sabha on Sunday had pointed out that the land on which the integrated solid waste management plant proposed is a critical water recharge area, and part of the ecologically sensitive plateau, which the villagers are bound to protect and conserve for the future generations under the Constitution, Environmental Laws and the Goa Panchayati Raj Act.
The resolution stated that the best practices employed for solid waste management include segregation at source, composting at source, reduce and reuse and recycle and decentralized management of the solid waste generated locally at each village, town and city, adding that Loutolim and other Goan villages are most suitable for adopting these best practices.
“The integrated solid waste management plant is an inferior solution, is not necessary and will cause more pollution rather than solving the existing issues,” the resolution added.
