MARGAO
What has been feared all along has come true on Monday “ a three-month extension granted for the door-to-door waste collection till October 31 has ended, with neither a new tender floated by the Margao Municipal Council nor the civic body granting further extension to the two contractors.
Given the situation, the door-to-door waste collection should come to a stop from November 1, but two contractors are expected to continue the work as they have been promised by the civic body to work out a solution within a week.
The moot question, however, remains unanswered “ what had prevented the Margao municipality to tender the door-to-door waste collection contract when the July 22 last meeting of the council had given only a three-month extension for the two contractors? Or, extensions of contracts sans complying with the codal formalities continue to be the norm than an exception in the civic body?
Consider this. This is not the first time that the Margao council has extended the contract. Last time round, the civic body had tendered the work amounting close to Rs 5 crore, but the Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA) had returned the tender file citing anomalies.
When the GSUDA observations were placed before the council meeting on July 22, the City Fathers resolved to give a three-month extension to facilitate the civic body to float another tender and comply with the codal formalities during the period.
Sadly, the civic body is believed to have not floated any new tender during this period. Officials pointed out that they were exploring the possibility of nominating the two contractors to continue the work given that they had been carrying out the job successfully, especially during Covid.
When The Goan called up a civic official to shed light on the fate of the contractor, the official agreed that the three-month extension ended on October 31. He, however, hastened to add that the Margao council may meet anytime to approve a further extension or approach the Director of Municipal Administration (DMA) to accept the last tender.
GSUDA, MMC raise awareness on waste segregation at Madel
MARGAO
With the waste treatment plant down in the dumps, the Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA) and the Margao Municipal Council on Monday stressed on segregation of waste at source to stop mixed garbage from reaching Sonsodo.
GSUDA-appointed expert Clinton Vaz along with Margao municipality Assistant Engineer Vishant Naik and ward councillor Francis Joanes descended on Madel to interact with the residents of housing societies.
Clinton reminded the residents that handing over unsegregated waste is an offence under the waste management rules, even as he appealed to the residents to help the civic body in handling the garbage imbroglio.
He later told the media that the segregation of waste at sources by the residents is the only answer to tackle the waste issue. “While the wet waste can be treated scientifically at the plant, the dry and plastic waste goes for recycling,” Clinton said.
