MARGAO
A swanky Maruti Ertiga car costing around Rs 8 lakh for the Margao Municipal Engineer. Two brand new Maruti Wagon R's - each costing Rs 4.75 lakh -- for the Municipal engineers. That's not all. The Municipal body has now set in motion the process to buy an Innova Crysta vehicle for the Chairperson of the A Class Municipal Council at a whopping cost of Rs 15.41 lakh.
What about the toiling Municipal garbage workers, who more often than not are forced to physically lift the overflowing waste
bins into collection trucks for want of compactors?
While the civic body is on a shopping spree to buy new vehicles for the chairperson and senior officials, garbage workers are anxiously looking for the day when the civic body will liberate them from the rigours of manually lifting the heavy garbage bins into municipal trucks for want of compactors.
Presently, the Margao Municipal Council runs a fleet of four garbage compactors, but garbage workers claim these vehicles break down almost every other day, since they have almost outlived their utility. In the absence of the garbage compactors, these municipal workers are left with no choice, but to physically lift the garbage from the hundreds of bins installed across the city.
Inquiries by The Goan have revealed that while the Margao Municipality is on a shopping spree to buy luxury cars for the chairperson and officials, it's now six years since the civic body had last purchased the compactors for garbage collection and transportation. Though garbage compactors have added strength to the waste collection and transportation system, there's been no initiative from the civic body since 2011. "The four garbage compactors were purchased by the MMC way back in March 2011. Since then, not a single compactor has been added to the fleet till date," remarked an official.
Margao Municipal Council Chairperson Babita Angle Prabhudesai, however, pointed out that the present council has mooted a proposal to procure a garbage compactor and a truck to tone up the garbage collection system. "I do not think the Municipality has given more weightage for the procurement of vehicles for the civic officials and the chairperson. I feel it was long overdue to go in for these new vehicles. As far as the garbage compactors are concerned, the Municipality has proposed a new compactor and a truck to tone up the mechanism to transport the solid waste," she said, adding ‘in addition, the Municipality will propose purchase of two brand new compactors in the near future'.
Sources, however, said that while the Municipality has placed an order for the compactor directly with Telco company, the payment has not been effected till
date for want of nod from the government.
While the civic body is on a shopping spree to buy new vehicles for the chairperson and senior officials, garbage workers are anxiously looking for the day when the civic body will liberate them from the rigours of manually lifting the heavy garbage bins into municipal trucks for want of compactors.
Presently, the Margao Municipal Council runs a fleet of four garbage compactors, but garbage workers claim these vehicles break down almost every other day, since they have almost outlived their utility. In the absence of the garbage compactors, these municipal workers are left with no choice, but to physically lift the garbage from the hundreds of bins installed across the city.
Inquiries by The Goan have revealed that while the Margao Municipality is on a shopping spree to buy luxury cars for the chairperson and officials, it's now six years since the civic body had last purchased the compactors for garbage collection and transportation. Though garbage compactors have added strength to the waste collection and transportation system, there's been no initiative from the civic body since 2011. "The four garbage compactors were purchased by the MMC way back in March 2011. Since then, not a single compactor has been added to the fleet till date," remarked an official.
Margao Municipal Council Chairperson Babita Angle Prabhudesai, however, pointed out that the present council has mooted a proposal to procure a garbage compactor and a truck to tone up the garbage collection system. "I do not think the Municipality has given more weightage for the procurement of vehicles for the civic officials and the chairperson. I feel it was long overdue to go in for these new vehicles. As far as the garbage compactors are concerned, the Municipality has proposed a new compactor and a truck to tone up the mechanism to transport the solid waste," she said, adding ‘in addition, the Municipality will propose purchase of two brand new compactors in the near future'.
Sources, however, said that while the Municipality has placed an order for the compactor directly with Telco company, the payment has not been effected till
date for want of nod from the government.
