the goan I network
MARGAO
On the eve of the crucial Chief Minister Pramod Sawant-headed High Powered Coordination Committee (HPCC) meeting scheduled on Friday to decide the future course of action at Sonsodo, high ranking officials descended at Sonsodo on Thursday noon to take stock of the situation.
Chief Secretary Parimal Rai, Director of Municipal Administration Dr Tariq Thomas, South Goa district Collector Ajit Roy, Goa Waste Management Corporation Managing Director, Levinson Martins, besides officials of the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) and Margao Municipal Chief Officer Ajit Panchwadkar descended at Sonsodo to gather first hand information on the situation at Sonsodo.
The visit by the top ranking officials assumes significance not just because the HPCC is meeting on Friday at the Chief Minister’s Altinho residence, but comes against the backdrop of the exit of Fomento from Sonsodo and the return of the MMC at the site.
Sources said the Chief Secretary, who is mandated by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), to review the solid waste management situation across the state every month, is believed to have got first hand experience on the prevailing situation at Sonsodo.
The Chief Secretary is also a member of the High Powered Coordination Committee (HPCC) especially constituted to deal with Sonsodo around a decade ago.
Meanwhile, GWMC MD Levinson Martins said that around 22,000 tonnes of the Sonsodo legacy dump has been cleared by the contractor appointed by the agency since the operation to remediate the existing waste started from December 15.
