MARGAO
Come April 1, and the Margao Municipal Council will unveil its road map how to resolve the garbage problem plaguing the commercial capital in an coordinated manner, including waste segregation, door-to-door waste collection and transporting waste in a segregated manner.
This became apparent at a meeting of the Municipal Sanitary Committee held in the civic body on Thursday, which was attended by Margao Municipal Council Chairperson Babita Prabhudesai, Sanitation Committee Chairperson Angelis Pereira, councillors, Chief Officer Johnson Fernandes and other Municipal officials.
The meeting was attended by Goa State Urban Development Agency GSUDA’s representative on solid waste management Gaurav Pokle, as he was roped in to assist the civic body in preparing the road map on the city’s solid waste management.
MMC Chairperson Babita Prabhudesai told The Goan after the deliberations that the meeting took stock of the situation in order to chalk out the road map for the future. “The Municipality has been trying to address the issue in a haphazard manner. Chief Officer Johnson Fernandes has suggested that the Municipality prepare a road map, to be put in place by April 1, wherein all issues concerning solid waste management are addressed in a coordinated and holistic manner,” she said.
The deliberations centered on purchase of additional vehicles, including rickshaws, for transportation of dry waste. “We had invited all the councillors for the meeting as they have their own role to play in resolving the garbage problems. The Municipality intends to put clusters in place for better management of the waste. Certain types of waste, for instance waste generated in the saloons and tailoring shops will be collected by the civic body on certain days,” she added.
On the question of outsourcing door-to-door waste collection, the Municipal chairperson pointed out that though the Municipality had floated a tender, inviting prospective bidders to take up the work, there was a delay on the part of the technical people to complete the formalities.
This is perhaps the first time that the Margao Municipality has disclosed plans to address the waste management issue in a holistic manner. The action by the civic body comes days after TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai promised residents of Old market at his Sunday Dialogue that the waste management problem plaguing the city will be resolved within a couple of months.
