PANAJI
The conundrum faced by panchayats across the state to identify and set up material recovery facilities in their jurisdiction featured prominently in the discussion on the demands for grants on Thursday.
Several members, including Carlos Alvares Ferreira and Rudolf Fernandes of the Congress, raised the issue urging the government to step in and assist the panchayats to overcome the hurdle.
Panchayats are mandated by a court order to have their own MRF to help manage the solid waste management problem in their jurisdictions.
With the deadline set by the courts already missed by several panchayats, the local self-governing bodies are debarred from issuing any construction and development licences until a MRF is established by them.
Ferreira-Alvares urged the government to assist the Aldona panchayat where people are facing much difficulties with the panchayat not allowed to issue any licences in the absence of an MRF in the village.
Fernandes also raised the same problem of the villages in his St Cruz constituency. He suggested that the government should come up with a common facility so that multiple panchayats in a certain region are covered to resolve the problem.
