MARGAO
In a bid to send a strong signal to persons dumping illegal garbage at night and odd hours in the city, the Margao municipality has requested the citizens to click photos of such persons, including vehicles, resorting to open dumping of waste and forward the same to the Chief Officer on WhatsApp number 7030910926.
The CO appealed to vigilant citizens to report any such illegal dumping on the WhatsApp number and help the municipality to clear the garbage menace.
“When we are collecting door to door garbage daily and dry waste thrice a week, there’s no reason why people should dump their waste in the open. There should be some civic sense among the citizens. We want our environment to be clean.”
“My WhatsApp number can be used to send the location so that my person immediately responds,” the CO said adding there will be no let-up in issuing fines to the erring persons.
He recalled how a vigilant citizen of Fatorda had helped track a vehicle and the owner after he clicked a photo of it dumping waste.
“After collecting the details, a notice was issued to a person from Calangute Bardez to pay a fine of Rs 10,000 or face imprisonment under Municipal Solid Waste Rules 2016 and Section 5 of Environment Protection Act 1986. Based on the notice the owner appeared before me and submitted in writing that he has already sold the vehicle to one person from Margao,” he said.
Agnelo added, “We issued a fresh notice to the new owner. During the hearing, the owner submitted that since the waste was not collected by MMC, the vehicle mistakenly dumped the waste. He prayed for leniency being first offence. On hearing the party, I fined him Rs 2500 and issued a strong warning.”
