MARGAO
Friday saw the Margao Municipal Council initiating a slew of measures to bring the solid waste management project back on the track, with focus on resolving the issues plaguing the Sonsodo waste treatment plant and putting waste collection logistics in place.
At a meeting of the Council chaired by Chairperson Lyndon Pereira, the Council has further resolved to strengthen the door-to-door collection by re-tendering the work within a period of three months.
Going by the advice of Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC), which had recently conducted a powerpoint presentation on the Sonsodo plant, the Council at its meeting held on Friday has given the green signal to float an Expression of Interest (EoI) to rope in a contractor for the treatment of day-to-day wet waste for a period of one year.
Even as the civic body has failed in clearing the bills of a contractor amounting to Rs 84 lakh for carting out the waste from the plant, the Council has resolved to treat the existing wet waste that has piled up inside the plant.
Given that the heavy duty crane with grab has been giving nightmares for the civic body in handling the daily waste, the city fathers have cleared an office proposal to purchase spares for the crane, estimated to cost the civic body around Rs 5 lakh.
The meeting also cleared a proposal to go for five new garbage compactors, besides as many trucks for garbage management.
On door-to-door waste collection, the civic body has decided to continue with the existing contractors for waste collection on a condition that the new contractor is roped in within three months.
Chairperson Lyndon told the councillors that the GWMC has recommended floating an EoI to rope in a contractor to treat the daily wet waste pending a decision on how to go about the waste treatment.
Chief Officer Agnelo Fernandes explained the councillors that the GWMC during the powerpoint presentation had recommended floating an EoI to treat the daily waste and set up two 25 TPD bio-methanation plants at Sonsodo as part of long-term solution to address the burning issues by setting by a Material Recovery Facility on land admeasuring 2,000 square metres at Sonsodo.
The meeting also discussed the GWMC letter urging the civic body to identify places for the disposal of inert generated during the remediation of the Sonsodo legacy waste and compost.
OTHER ISSUES DISCUSSED...
App to facilitate services at MMC
The MMC has resolved to go for App-based services in the city on the lines of Thana and Pimpri Municipal Corporations. Dumping the proposal to set up two facilitation centres to address public grievances, the Council has instead decided to go for the App to take all services, including issuance of births and death documents right in the homes of citizens.
Stray dogs: No decision on MoU with agency
The stray dog issue came up for discussion at the meeting, but no final decision has been taken to sign Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with any other agency. The councillors deliberated on the delay in the payments to an NGO pending since May last.
Nod for CCTV cameras in city
The Council has accorded approval for the setting up of CCTV cameras at various locations across the city. Councillors, however, insisted that the administration lay stress on the upkeep and maintenance of the surveillance cameras given the bitter past experience that the cameras were found defunct.
MMC to don its original colour soon
The original colour of the paint would soon return on the over century-old Margao Municipal building, a heritage structure in its own right.
Councillors not only gave approval for the painting of the imposing building, but resolved that the building should don the original colour. Councillor Ganashyam Shirodkar also urged the Chairperson to take up maintenance work of the imposing building.
