The delegation of city-based hoteliers that called on Margao Municipal Chairperson Damu Naik on the issue of levy of fees as per the provision of bulk waste generators. Captured by : Santosh Mirajkar
MARGAO
Margao Municipal Council administration’s initiative to bring erring hoteliers under the tax net after they were categorised as bulk waste generators has been grounded for the moment in the election season.
After Margao Municipal Chief Officer Gaurish Sankhwalkar issued notices to several hoteliers after a survey by the civic body revealed they all came under the bulk waste generators category, directing them to pay additional fees, Margao municipal chairperson Damu Shirodkar on Friday told the civic officials to keep the notices on hold for the moment. The chairperson has told the chief officer and an engineer to re-survey the hotels in question before implementing the additional fees on the establishments for garbage collection.
Shirodkar took the decision after city-based hoteliers called on the MMC chief with a plea to review the decision on issuing the show cause notices.
During discussions, the chief officer defended the decision saying that a survey carried out by the municipal supervisors had found the hotels generated over 25 kilograms of garbage per day and they fall under the category of bulk waste generator as per provisions of the Goa Model Solid Waste Management Byelaws, 2020. “The bulk waste generators are required under the law to take care of their own garbage generated in the establishment or pay the prescribed fees to the civic body for collecting the waste,” he said.
The MMC had directed the hotels to implement segregation of waste at source, segregated storage within premises, facilitate segregated door-to-door collection and processing and treatment of biodegradable waste within premises or processing tied-up with a service provider. The establishments were told that they would also attract the provisions of the bye-laws for Municipal Solid Waste Management and cost/fees/changes thereof.
