MARGAO
Waste Management Minister Michael Lobo’s stand that the Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) would revive the project to install seven bio-methanation plants after the new council takes charge in Margao has not stopped the Margao Municipal Council from taking the government-approved biomethanation plants to its logical conclusion.
That the MMC is firm in its resolve to implement the government-approved biomethanation plants in the commercial capital became evident on Friday when the civic body opened the technical bids for the three tendered bio-methanation plants.
The opening of the technical bids assumes significance and comes against the backdrop of a meeting MMC Chief Officer Agnelo Fernandes reportedly had with the Director of Municipal Administration Dr Tariq Thomas on Thursday.
While the MMC has tendered a total of three biomethanation plants for three different locations, the MMC Chief Officer, sources said, has favoured the setting up of either one or two plants as a pilot project before going in for more such plants.
With the civic body opening the technical bids, the next step in the tendering process will be the opening of the financial bids, which will determine the appointment of the contractor for the project.
“The civic body is not in any hurry to set up the three biomethanation plants just because of the government the approval. Since each of these plants is estimated to cost around Rs 2.49 crore as per the cost worked out by the GSUDA, the municipality will tread a cautious path since the project involves crores of taxpayers’ money,” remarked a civic official.
However, Lobo has raised doubts on the success of the three biomethanation plants approved by the government on grounds that they are not being set up in one place, He said it will be difficult to manage the plants given the logistics involved.
What’s interesting to note is that the seven biomethanation plants which were approved by the Goa Forward-backed council on November 4 last year have still not received the government nod to date.
Sources in the Margao municipality informed that the proposal concerning the seven biomethanation plants was forwarded to the office of the DMA, but nothing has been heard from the civic body to date.
The seven plants had kicked up a huge row in the corridors of the Margao civic body over the cost factor as the preliminary estimates worked out by the GWMC showed that each of these plants will cost nothing less than Rs 4.80 crore as against the GSUDA plants, with each plant costing around Rs 2.49 crore.
