MARGAO
Two days after The Goan highlighted the garbage piled up along the Margao railway tracks at Khareband, the Margao Municipal Council has cleaned up the entire area of the waste dump.
Margao Municipal Engineer Deepak Desai has got the door-to-door garbage collection contractor to clear up the mixed garbage dumped along the Margao railway tracks, literally converted the area into an eyesore and a breeding ground for vector borne diseases.
The timely lifting of the waste by the MMC appointed contractor has saved the local residents of the harmful effects of pollutants triggered by the burning of waste. More often than not, the waste dumped along the railway tracks is disposed of by burning, triggering pollution in the vicinity and the immediate neighbourhood.
A host of questions over the MMC action remains unanswered, especially the crucial question whether the civic body has found out the source of the waste that has found its way on to the railway tracks. For, this is not the first time that waste had piled up along the tracks, only throwing up questions whether it is the handiwork of the local residents or whether the waste is dumped at the site by garbage contractors from outside the MMC jurisdiction.
Sources pointed out that the MMC should find out whether the local residents are involved in the waste dumping and whether they are charged the garbage collection fees by the Municipality.
“The time has come to find out whether the local residents are paying the house tax, and why they prefer to dispose of the waste in the open despite paying the garbage fees”, sources said, adding “if the residents are not paying the mandatory garbage fees, then the MMC should find out a mechanism to ensure the garbage does not find it way to the railway tracks”.
