MARGAO
The Margao Municipal Council (MMC) has tightened the screws on the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) over waste management at the PDA mega retail market, directing the planning body to register the establishment as a bulk waste generator (BWG) through the centralised online portal under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026.
The MMC has warned the SGPDA that failure to comply with the notice and fulfil the obligations prescribed under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026, could lead to appropriate proceedings under the applicable municipal bye-laws.
The civic body has further warned that non-compliance would be reported to the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) or any other competent authority for the levy of environmental compensation under Rule 17 and action under Section 15 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
This is perhaps the first time the MMC has issued a notice to the SGPDA specifically directing it to register the mega retail market as a BWG. The move signals that the civic body expects the planning body to take responsibility for managing waste generated within the market in accordance with the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026, including mandatory segregation at source.
At present, waste generated at the mega retail market—which houses the fish, vegetable, fruit and meat markets—is dumped in an unsegregated manner on the SGPDA grounds before being collected and disposed of daily by the MMC.
Why SGPDA establishment falls under BWG category
In its notice, MMC Chief Officer Madhu Narvekar said an inspection and verification of the market establishment found that it satisfies one or more of the criteria prescribed for classification as a bulk waste generator under Rule 3(1)(1) of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026.
The criteria cited by the civic body includes: A floor area of 20,000 square metres or above; water consumption of 40,000 litres per day or above; generation of 100 kilograms or more of solid waste per day.
The MMC has cited the actual or recorded/estimated figures relating to the establishment in determining its eligibility for classification as a BWG.
MMC directions to planning body
The SGPDA has been directed to register the establishment as a bulk waste generator with the Margao Municipal Council through the centralised online portal established under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026, within 15 days of receiving the notice.
The planning body has also been directed to submit a copy of the registration acknowledgement or certificate to the Technical Section of the MMC within three working days of completing the registration process.
The notice further directs the SGPDA to ensure segregation and storage of waste generated on the premises into four separate streams: wet waste, dry waste, sanitary waste, and special-care waste.
The SGPDA has also been told to make adequate arrangements for the separate collection and handing over of dry, sanitary and special-care waste to the MMC or an agency duly authorised or registered under the applicable rules.
For wet and horticultural waste, the planning body has been directed to ensure arrangements for the collection and decentralised processing of the entire quantity generated within the premises through composting, biomethanation or any other technology approved under the rules.
The notice effectively places the responsibility on the SGPDA to establish a compliant waste management system within the mega retail market, rather than continuing with the present practice of handing over mixed waste to the municipal council for collection and disposal.
Questions mount over Collector's
action on SGPDA waste issue
MARGAO: The office of the South Goa District Collector has come under the spotlight over the waste management issue plaguing the PDA mega retail market.
Questions are being raised within the Margao civic body and outside over whether the Collector's office has initiated any action against the SGPDA under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act.
Last Friday, Margao Municipal Chief Officer Madhu Narvekar, after consultations with MMC Administrator Srinet Kothwale, who also holds charge as South Goa Additional Collector-I, lodged a complaint with the South Goa District Collector seeking action against the planning body under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
The reason: the civic body claimed that the SGPDA continues to dump mixed solid waste on the SGPDA grounds despite repeated complaints and representations by the MMC.
Terming the waste management situation a serious and continuing environmental and public health concern, the MMC claimed that the SGPDA has paid little heed to its earlier communications calling for the dumping to stop and for waste to be properly collected, segregated and disposed of.
The MMC has sought directions from the Collector to ensure that the SGPDA immediately stops open dumping and that waste generated at the market is collected, segregated and disposed of in accordance with the applicable rules.
While the civic body approached the District Collector for action, as district collectors have now been delegated powers under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026, to deal with garbage-related matters, sources said they were unaware whether the Collector's office had initiated any action so far.
