MARGAO
When will Chief Minister Pramod Sawant call a meeting of the High Powered Coordination Committee (HPCC) on Sonsodo to sort out the issues staring at the Margao Municipal Council’s waste management programme, including the setting up the bio-methanation plants?
On the floor of House during the recently-concluded Assembly session, the Chief Minister had promised to call a meeting of the HPCC headed by him by February 10 to address all the issues concerning waste management and the bio-methanation plants.
Till date, however, nothing has been heard in the corridors of the Margao Municipal Council on the question of the Chief Minister convening the HPCC. Till Monday evening, there was no communique received by the MMC from the office of the Director of Municipal Administration or the Urban Development Secretary on the fate of the HPCC meeting which was scheduled to be held by February 10.
The Goan understands that based on the Chief Minister’s promise on the floor of the House that he would call a meeting of the HPCC by February 10 to discuss the Sonsodo issue threadbare and take a firm call on the bio-methanation plants, the MMC had written to the DMA’s office to call the proposed meeting.
The Chief Minister had promised to call for the HPCC meeting when the government faced the heat from the opposition over Sonsodo, more so over the setting up of the bio-methanation plants in the commercial capital.
In fact, the Chief Minister had intervened after the opposition alleged that the Waste Management Minister Michael Lobo and Urban Development Minister Milind Naik had different agendas on the bio-methanation plants and to resolve the Sonsodo mess.
The delay in convening the HPCC meeting, sources say, may delay in finalizing the tender for the setting up of two bio-methanation plants in the city for want of unanimity in the government whether to go ahead with one or two plants as approved by the Urban Development Minister or seven as per the estimates prepared by the Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC).
Sources in the know informed that after the Chief Minister made an announcement of convening the HPCC meeting, the ongoing process to finalize the tender to set up the two bio-methanation plants has started proceeding at a snail’s pace.
Wary officials have preferred to tread a cautious path in view of the difference of opinion on the plants so as not to antagonize the powers that be.
Sources said though the technical bid was opened last month, the financial bid is not yet opened and the file concerning the tender has been forwarded to the DMA’s office for guidance and further action.
