MAPUSA
After facing a barrage of complaints from residents and councillors over irregular door-to-door garbage collection, the Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC) has finally acted “ issuing a show-cause notice to the private contractor responsible for collecting waste in Wards 11 to 20.
The notice, signed by Chief Officer Chandrakant Shetkar, accuses the contractor of breaching the terms of the agreement by failing to collect and segregate waste properly.
“It is noticed that waste collected by your workers is mixed and not found in a segregated manner at the MRF plant at Cunchelim. It has also been reported that the waste sent to the Goa Waste Management Corporation plant at Saligao has been rejected for the same reason,” the Chief Officer stated.
Interestingly, the notice also mentions that several of the agency’s workers were found intoxicated while on duty and that they had not been issued ID cards or uniforms, both requirements clearly stated in the tender.
The civic body’s delayed response, however, has raised eyebrows.
Residents and councillors point out that the issues “ including workers found intoxicated on duty and failure to provide ID cards and uniforms “ existed for months and question why the council acted only now.
“Was the council unaware that workers were operating without uniforms or identification? Or did it take public outrage for the Chief Officer to wake up?” asked a councillor from the affected wards.
Another resident from Ward 14 said, “Garbage has been dumped in mixed form for weeks. We had to complain multiple times before the civic body even took notice.”
The contractor has been given 15 days to explain why action should not be taken against him for breach of contract.
Residents, however, say the civic body’s action comes “too little, too late”, as uncollected garbage piles have already become a regular sight in several Mapusa wards.
“We’ve heard warnings before. But what we need now is consistent monitoring, not just reaction after complaints,” said a resident of Cunchelim.
