MARGAO: Can Saligao offer solution to Salcete’s wet garbage woes? Yes, says Goa Solid waste management Corporation MD Sanjit Rodrigues, exactly a week after the Corporation organized a three and half hour long program on solid waste management for Panchayats of Salcete and down South presided by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.
There’s, however, a rider. Salcete Panchayats will have to do its bit by collecting waste, both dry and wet waste, before Corporation vehicles lift the waste and transport the same to the Saligao waste treatment plant for disposal.
In fact, the Solid Waste management Corporation is willing to deploy more than one vehicle to collect waste from Salcete villages if the Panchayat collects the garbage and store it at designated places.
Corporation’s willingness to transport and dispose of Panchayat’s waste at the Saligao waste treatment plant may also help the Panchayats tide over the space problem staring the Salcete panchayat bodies.
Many a Panchayat body had been citing absence of suitable land as the prime reason behind the failure to collect wet waste from the households.
Says Sanjit Rodrigues: “The Corporation is more than willing to bail out the panchayat in Salcete facing waste problem. Our vehicles can transport the wet or dry waste to the Saligao waste treatment plant almost every day, but let the Panchayat bodies put their mechanism of collecting and segregation waste in place. Corporation vehicles are collecting waste from Ponda and we are happy that waste is being handed over to our trucks by the Civic body. The same system can be employed while tackling the waste problem faced by the Salcete panchayats”.
He added: “We are ready to deploy one vehicle to transport wet and dry waste along the coastal belt, right from Cavelossim, Carmona, Orlim, Varca, Benaulim, Betalbatim, Majorda and beyond. Similarly, we can arrange a vehicle, starting from Velim, which can lift away waste from Ambelim, Assolna, Chinchinim, Sarzora, Dramapur, Navelim, Nuvem, Verna. All these things can happen only after the Panchayat puts their waste collection mechanism in place”.
To a question, Sanjit said the Panchayats need no longer bother over the funds required to put the waste collection mechanism in place. “The government has increased the funds for the panchayats to manage the waste problem. Panchayats have been clubbed in different categories. The coastal panchayat bodies are entitled for a waste management grant of Rs seven lakh. This does not take away the right of the panchayats to impose garbage collection fee and these grass root bodies are free to impose a fee to generate additional funds to handle waste”, he said, adding “I am aware that many teething problems may crop up, but the Panchayats and the Corporation can make a try”.
Sadly, Corporation’s attempts to lift dry waste from the Salcete panchayat bodies have not been encouraging till date. “My vehicles go to Salcete from time to time to collect dry waste, but we hardly receive any waste from certain panchayats’, he added.
Barring the two Municipal bodies of Margao and Cuncolim in Salcete, which have a dedicated waste disposal site in their jurisdiction, most of the 30 Panchayat bodies have no land of their own for the disposal of the garbage generated in their areas.
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ONUS ON PANCHAYATS
Says Goa Solid waste management Corporation MD Sanjit Rodrigues ...
* The Corporation is more than willing to bail out the panchayat in Salcete facing waste problem
* Our vehicles can transport wet or dry waste to Saligao waste treatment plant almost every day
* Let the Panchayat bodies put their mechanism of collecting and segregation waste in place
* Corporation vehicles are transporting waste from Ponda which is being collected by civic body
* Same system can be employed while tackling the waste problem faced by Salcete panchayats
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WHERE TO DUMP
* Only two municipal bodies of Margao and Cuncolim in Salcete have a dedicated waste disposal site in their jurisdiction
* But most of the 30 panchayat bodies have no land of their own for the disposal of the garbage generated in their areas
