MARGAO
With the South Goa Collector, Asvin Chandru, IAS submitting a status report in the High Court on the Sonsodo imbroglio, the Director of the Urban Development Department has issued a host of directions to the Margao Municipal Chief Officer on Wednesday, including to report to the Urban Development Secretary regarding the waste management activities carried out at Sonsodo site on a day-to-day basis.
The Chief Officer has been further told that funds amounting to Rs 3.74 crore have already been sanctioned for civil works and the same shall be utilised expeditiously to complete the same in a time-bound manner.
Urban Development Director, Gurudas Pilarnekar has further directed the Chief Officer to immediately remove and shift 5,000 metric tonnes out of the total 10,000 metric tonnes of matured waste piled up inside the Sonsodo waste management shed to avoid fire accidents. This work shall be commenced immediately and shall be completed within 60 days.
Besides, the Chief Officer has been told to procure three additional bailing machines to bail the dry waste which is stored in the existing shed. The Chief Officer shall hire a generator for the bailing of dry waste till the transformer is set up.
The wet waste of 30,00 MTs shall be transported to the waste management plant at Saligao. This waste shall be strictly segregated and care shall be taken by the Chief Officer that no leachate is discharged during transportation.
The directions further mandated the Chief Officer to take up the work of expansion of the existing shed on priority and complete the same within 60 days.
“Of the 10,000 MTs matured waste, 5,000 MTs lying in Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) shed shall be removed and shifted to the ground floor at the compost storage area immediately to avoid fire incidents. This work shall be commenced immediately and shall be completed within 60 days”, the directions stated, adding that the Chief Officer shall hire JCB on rentals and the same should be deployed at the MSW management site.
It was further directed that the Chief Officer shall engage two engineers at the Sonsodo site, who shall work on a shift basis and will be responsible to carry out waste management work without any hindrance.
CO orders to stop sending files on construction licences to office
MARGAO
With the High Court calling for a stop in the issuance of construction licences by the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) till the next date of hearing on July 19, Chief Officer Gaurish Sankhwalkar on Wednesday ordered the municipal technical section to stop sending files to his office on matters on construction licences.
After the High Court set a week for the MMC to put Sonsodo back on the tracks in the morning, hectic activity could be witnessed in the civic body on Wednesday evening, with the Chief Officer going in a huddle, first with the municipal engineers and then with the office bearers of the Goa Municipal Employees Association along with Chairperson Damu Shirodkar.
The chief officer told Municipal Engineer Manoj Arsekar not to send any construction licence files to his office.
He later told the media that no construction licence will be issued by the MMC till the next date of hearing on July 19.
The Chief Officer along with Chairperson had a meeting with a delegation of the Goa Municipal Employees Association led by Anil Shirodkar in a bid to impress upon the Union to extend cooperation to the municipal administration in implementing the High Court’s directions.
Reminding the delegation that as per the DMA’s instructions, the MMC has to transport 30 tonnes of garbage to the Saligao waste treatment plant, the Chief Officer said the role of the Municipal drivers has come into play.
The Chief Officer has warned that his office will be left with no option but to initiate disciplinary action against anyone not cooperating with the waste management, more so with the matter now under the High Court scanner and that he is now required to file a report to the Secretary, Urban Development daily.
While assuring the Union’s full cooperation, Union leader Anil Shirodkar said the Chief Officer should use the workforce to execute the job on waste management, promising the Union will not interfere in the work.
