the goan I network
PANAJI
Not a single village panchayat is well equipped to manage the solid waste produced in their jurisdiction but the State government still aims to make Goa a ‘litter free’ State, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said in a written reply in the Goa legislative Assembly.
Goa has not been declared a ‘Garbage Free’ State, said Parrikar, who also holds the Science, Technology and Environment portfolio, in the reply to Opposition Leader Babu Kavlekar’s query. But he added that his government is aiming to achieve a ‘litter free’ status for the State.
Kavlekar wanted to know how many panchayats and civic bodies in Goa were equipped to manage the garbage in their jurisdictions. In more supplementaries, to the same starred question, the Opposition Leader asked how many of the solid waste management plants set up by the government and/or the panchayats and municipalities, were functioning satisfactorily
Parrikar disclosed that seven municipal bodies were well-equipped to handle the waste generated in their jurisdiction. He listed the municipal councils of Mormugao, Mapusa, Bicholim, Curchorem-Cacora, Canacona, Quepem and Sanguem as the civic bodies equipped to manage their garbage.
The civic bodies of the capital Panaji, which incidentally is represented by Parrikar himself, and Margao, arguably the State’s most significant towns, are notable omissions from the list furnished as those ‘well equipped’ to manage their garbage problems.
The chief minister also told Kavlekar in the written reply that each panchayat is eligible for a grant of Rs 2 lakh per year to tackle plastic waste. Panchayats in the coastal belt get up to Rs 5 lakh while the village bodies within 12-kilometre radius from the airport get up to Rs 7 lakh.
To yet another supplementary from Kavlekar, Parrikar wrote that that State government has appointed contractors to collect garbage from highways and major State roads. M/s BVG India Pvt. is appointed for the North and Central Zone while M/s Mahalasa Services looks after the South Zone, he said, adding that the Solid Waste Management Corporation supervises these contractors.
