MARGAO
In a development that has raised many an eyebrow and is throwing up a host of questions, Margao Municipal Chief Officer Agnelo Fernandes on Wednesday asked all hotels, restaurants and business establishments generating wet waste in the commercial capital to apply to the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) for consent of operate in view of the current situation at Sonsodo.
What has created doubts and confusion in city circles is that the Chief Officer’s notice did not specifically speak about which situation at Sonsodo he is talking about “ whether the current situation arising out of Friday’s fire incident or the situation wherein the waste treatment plant is in a state of saturation with daily waste just dumped inside sans treatment.
What’s further interesting to note is that the hoteliers have claimed they have not yet received any such notice from the Margao Municipal Council. In fact, President of Margao hotels and establishments, C P Jaggi told The Goan that the small hoteliers have no means and wherewithal to treat the wet waste generated their establishments.
The MMC Chief Officer’s notice read as follows: “In view of the current situation at Sonsoddo all hotels, restaurants and business establishments generating wet waste are requested to apply to Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) consent to operate as it may take around three months for the situation at Sonsoddo to normalize”.
Sources in the know say the Friday’s fire incident, which gutted the power transformer and other electrical equipment at Sonsodo, should in no way affect the dumping of the daily wet waste into the treatment plant. Reason. The waste treatment plant has not been in operation for several months now and the current power failure on account of the destruction of power transformer has no bearing on the plant.
In fact, the MMC has been just dumping the daily wet waste into the waste treatment plant and a JCB compacting the waste inside to make way for fresh waste the next day.
When The Goan called up Chief Officer Agnelo Fernandes to shed light on the notice issued by him on Wednesday, he said his office had issued a notice on the hoteliers sometime back to seek consent from the GSPCB. He said a joint meeting between the MMC, hoteliers Association and the GSPCB officials will be called soon to explain the hoteliers on the matter”, he said.
