File photo of the biomethanation plant at the SGPDA retail market.
MARGAO
A biomethanation plant proposed at the SGPDA wholesale fish market? For what, is a question that has come to haunt the Margao Municipality when the wholesale fish market does not churn out much waste other than thermocol and fish waste, which a biomethanation plant is not equipped to handle.
That’s not all. Questions are raised in the corridors of the Margao Municipality how come the civic body proposed a bio-methanation plant at the SGPDA wholesale fish market when the Council had in the past resolved that bio-methanation plants will come up in the city only with the Council’s nod.
Indeed, mystery shrouds the Margao Municipal Council’s proposal to set up a bio-methanation plant at the SGPDA wholesale fish market when the city’s lone bio-methanation plant set up at the SGPDA retail fish market has not been functioning as per the laid down parameters. Or, whether a hidden hand is working behind the scenes to give a push for a bio-methanation plant at the wholesale fish market by taking advantage of the close monitoring of the wholesale fish market by the High Court?
A glance at the proceedings in the High Court during hearing of the wholesale fish market matter shows that a statement is made that the PDA will have a meeting with the MMC to consider the civic body’s proposal to set up a biomethanation plant at the wholesale fish market.
A host of questions have come to the fore in the corridors of the Municipal body and outside. One, what purpose will a biomethanation plant serve in the wholesale fish market, which generates fish waste and dry waste including thermocol. For, the existing biomethanation plant at the SGDPA retail market does not accept fish waste or dry waste, but handles pure wet waste.
When the bio-methanation at the PDA retail market does not even accept onion skins and egg shells for treatment, questions are asked over the exact purpose the plant would serve in the wholesale fish market.
The bigger question remains unanswered. Consider this. The Margao Municipal Council had around two years ago tendered a total of three bio-methanation plants for the city, each costing in the range of around Rs 2.4 crore. Of the three plants, work order was given for one plant, which has now come up in the SGPDA retail market. The then Margao Civic Alliance of MLAs Digambar Kamat and Vijay Sardesai ruling the MMC had then resolved that the Civic body would not go ahead with the remaining two bio-methanation plants unless with the backing of the Council and after assessing the performance of the biomethanation plant set up at the PDA retail market.
The question that remains unanswered is how come the Margao Municipal Council has proposed to set up a biomethanation plant the PDA wholesale fish market without the Council’s nod and when the existing bio-methanation plant is struggling to meet the MMC’s requirements on waste disposal.
“It’s indeed a mystery that a hidden hand is batting for the second biomethanation plant that too at the wholesale fish market when the existing 5TPD plant has failed to achieve the objective. Just because the biomethanation plant is not functioning as per the laid down parameters, the MMC had recently called the owner for discussions. The owner has been even told to comply with certain things. It’s indeed surprising when the bio-methanation plant is not functioning up to the mark, another one is proposed at the wholesale fish market”, remarked an official in the know.
