MAPUSA
In a first-of-its-kind initiative for rural Goa, the State government has launched a fully funded daily door-to-door garbage collection service in the village panchayats of Saligao and Pilerne, making them the only two panchayats in the State to receive the facility at no cost to the local bodies.
The Goa State Waste Management Corporation (GSWMC) has taken over the responsibility of collecting segregated wet and dry waste from every household in the two villages from August 1.
The corporation will spend approximately Rs 3.5 crore annually on the initiative, with the entire cost being borne by the State government. The expenditure covers manpower, specialised collection vehicles and the operational costs involved in the daily collection of waste. The vehicles have been specially designed for the scientific handling and transportation of segregated waste, including proper tipping mechanisms to ensure efficient collection.
The initiative is unique because Saligao and Pilerne are the only village panchayats in Goa to receive a State-funded door-to-door waste collection service, joining only the Curchorem-Cacora Municipal Council, where a similar arrangement has already been implemented due to the presence of the State’s second solid waste management facility there.
GSWMC Managing Director Harish Adconkar said the decision was taken as both villages – Saligao and Pilerne – are located in close proximity to the Saligao Solid Waste Management Facility, making daily collection and transportation operationally viable. “Since the panchayats are located in the same locality where the waste treatment plant is situated, we have decided to provide this facility to them. The entire cost of door-to-door waste collection will be borne by the GSWMC,” Adconkar said.
He said the initiative is expected to improve segregation at source, ensure timely collection of household waste and reduce the burden on village panchayats in managing solid waste.
The Saligao panchayat has issued a public notice informing residents that collection vehicles will begin their rounds from 7 am every day and has appealed to households to keep wet and dry waste segregated before handing it over to the collection staff.
Saligao Sarpanch Lucas Remedios welcomed the initiative, describing it as a major relief for the panchayat, which had been facing increasing challenges in managing waste collection on its own. “This facility has come as a huge relief to the panchayat. Handling garbage collection had become a major challenge and the State-supported system will significantly improve waste management in the village,” Remedios said.
He added that the panchayat had already distributed separate bins for wet and dry waste to households in the past and urged residents to continue practising segregation to ensure the success of the programme.
