PANAJI
Calangute MLA Michael Lobo on Tuesday urged the State government to set up the waste management plant which was planned at Sonsodo and not to bring the wet waste from there to the Saligao plant which he said was already functioning over its capacity.
Initiating the general discussion on the 2023-24 budget presented by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant in the previous session in March, Lobo told the House that the Waste Management Department has budgeted the new plant at Sonsodo and it should be set up.
"I hear that now wet waste from Sonsodo will be brought to our plant at Saligao. The plant is already working above its capacity of 250 tonnes of wet waste daily from North Goa because waste from Panaji also comes," Lobo said.
Lobo, who was cabinet minister in-charge of the Waste Management portfolio in the previous term of the Assembly, said the chief minister should work out the formalities for setting up the plant at Sonsodo and do justice to South Goa, especially Salcete and Fatorda-Margao.
"The Waste Management Department has the budget. Even Nabard will definitely finance the plant at Sonsodo," Lobo opined.
The State administration had recently submitted an action plan on waste management at Sonsodo to the Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court, which involves the transportation of 20 MT of wet waste by the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) to the Saligao plant to reduce the accumulation at the waste management shed there.
Meanwhile, raising other matters related to the budget, Lobo said Sawant during his budget speech had rightly expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the latter had ensured a "special assistance" of Rs 571 crore for Goa this year.
He urged the chief minister and the ministers holding those portfolios to pay special attention to managing stray cattle through the animal husbandry department, better enforcement of the LED fishing ban, timely transfer of funds to the social welfare department for disbursal of monthly payments to beneficiaries of schemes and improving the water supply distribution system across the State.
