MARGAO
The Margao Municipal Council on Tuesday gave its stamp of approval for the setting up of seven bio-methanation plants at the Sonsodo waste dumping site in a bid to address the burning garbage imbroglio.
The MMC has opted for the bio-methanation plants, more than 22 years after the civic body‘s failed experiment with Pune-based Ms Komex to address the Sonsodo waste problem. After Komex had quit the site around 2000, the Goa Foundation had a short stint at Sonsodo, followed by Ms Hyquip and then Fomento Green, which ran the operations for eight long years, before withdrawing from the site earlier this year.
Given that the Director of Municipal Administration (DMA) had earlier granted sanction to the MMC to tender three bio-methanation plants at the SGPDA market as part of the plan to treat waste in a decentralized manner, Margao Municipal Council Chairperson Pooja Naik later said these three plants will be taken up as per the Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) technical specifications.
In a note put up to the MMC Chief Officer, Chairperson Pooja pointed out that the council has henceforth resolved to procure any and all garbage related machinery (bio-methanation plants) directly from the GeM portal in accordance with the GWMC specifications.
Pooja’s note, which was later released to the media, assumes significance and comes against the backdrop of the statement to the media by Chief Officer Ajit Panchwadkar that the council has given him the go-ahead signal
to tender three bio-methanation plants.
GWMC environment engineer, Sanjeev Joglekar, said the bio-methanation plants can go into operation around January if the MMC opts for the GeM portal to invite bids, but cautioned the civic body is required to play a major role by making available a new shed at Sonsodo to house the three plants in phase I so as not to disturb the ongoing waste treatment plant system in the existing shed.
The civic body gave its approval to the action plan prepared by the GWMC after environment engineer Sanjeev Joglekar made a presentation at the special meeting of the council, called specifically to discuss the setting up of the seven bio-methanation plants.
The only question that may come to haunt the city fathers is whether it is prudent to invest an amount of Rs 25-30 crore on the bio-methanation plants when the state-of-the-art waste management plant is expected to come up in five years.
Joglekar, however, replied to a city father, saying that it is purely for the civic body to take a call, reminding that the existing waste treatment mechanism at Sonsodo falls short of the requirements. Joglekar maintained that the GWMC has prepared the technical report to suit the needs of MMC, adding that it is purely for the civic body to decide how to go about the plants.
While a section of councillors pointed out that the civic body had earlier decided to set up three bio-methanation plants in the SGPDA markets, Joglekar said setting up all the seven plants at one place will not only help to manage the system properly, but channelize the power that is generated through the plants.
