Residents of Saligao will soon benefit from a more streamlined door-to-door garbage collection system, courtesy of the Saligao solid waste management plant.
The new initiative was announced by local MLA Kedar Naik during a meeting of the Village Development Committee (VDC) held at the village panchayat office on Thursday.
Naik informed the committee members that the authorities managing the solid waste treatment plant would take over the door-to-door collection in the village, replacing the existing system managed by the panchayat.
Currently, the panchayat collects garbage twice a week, but the new arrangement is expected to bring consistency and improved efficiency.
“With this new plan, the panchayat will no longer be responsible for garbage collection. The officials at the waste management plant will now devise a method to collect waste directly from the doorstep,” Naik said.
The meeting also saw discussions on several pressing issues affecting the village, including poor road conditions and erratic water and electricity supply. VDC member Liberata Madeira raised concerns over the deteriorated Arrarim road, which has forced public buses to skip the route, causing hardship to school students and senior citizens.
Responding to the concern, MLA Naik clarified that a portion of the road falls within the Calangute constituency.
Madeira urged Naik to take up the matter with the Calangute MLA, as the road is of public importance.
Other matters discussed at the meeting included the need for repairs to the cemetery road, installation of CCTV cameras near the Saligao crematorium and increased police patrolling in areas near food stalls, where tourists reportedly cause disturbances, particularly in the evenings.
On the much-awaited playground project, Naik said funds were available for the construction but emphasised the need for a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the local residents. He appealed to the community to support the initiative.
Naik also assured the VDC members that there were no plans to increase the garbage treatment capacity at the existing solid waste management facility.
