the goan I network
MARGAO
Who’s responsible for the lukewarm response to the thousands of sewerage connections up for grabs in Margao “ the government, sewerage department or the elected representatives, including Margao MLA Digambar Kamat and Margao Municipal Council councillors?
This question has come to haunt the agencies as well as the elected representatives as there’s still no turn around in the ground reality with the PWD issuing only 375 connections benefiting around 5,000 households when around 500 connections are up for grabs, which could have covered around 7000-8000 households and commercial establishments.
It’s now a year and half since Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had commissioned two state-of-the-art sewage treatment plants at Sirvodem, but the two plants have been operating below their capacity for want of sewage from households and commercial establishments.
A beleaguered Margao MLA Digambar Kamat on Wednesday said the authorities will have no option but to order a crackdown, beginning with the commercial establishments if they fail to connect their premises to the sewerage network.
Kamat said the PWD will now give one-month’s time to the erring commercial establishments to connect their establishments to the sewerage network before cracking a whip, including disconnection of water supply. “After one month, the authorities will crack the whip against the erring establishments. Let the message go to all the commercial establishments,” he said.
Kamat pointed out that the laying of Margao sewerage line is complete, barring a couple of places where work is presently going on. “The time has now come for the households as well as the commercial establishments to connect their premises to the sewerage network,” he added.
Presently, directions have gone to the Sulabh International as well as the Margao civic body to connect their public toilets to the sewerage network. “Sulabh has been given time till January 30 to complete the exercise or face action,” he added.
Dishing out statistics, Kamat said 380 sewerage connections have been issued to the households by the PWD out of the 450 applications received from the citizens. He, however, conceded that the task is uphill given that the 380 connections is a small figure compared to the sewerage connections offered by the sewerage network.
What’s interesting to note is that work on the laying of Margao sewage line is almost complete, with only certain stretches along the Rawanfond and Quepem road awaiting completion.
While exuding confidence that Madgavkars will come forward to take the sewerage connections, the Margao MLA sounded a warning to the commercial establishments to avail of the facility or face action.
“After January 30, the deadline set for Sulabh and the Margao municipality to connect their toilets to the underground sewerage line will be brought under the scanner,” Kamat said and added, “Even educational institutions will have to fall in line.”
Incidentally, PWD Minister Sudin Dhavalikar, who was in Margao last week, had expressed his unhappiness over the poor response to the sewerage connections, before making a plea to Madgavkars to connect their households and establishments to the underground network.
