SGPDA market meat vendors in a soup, fear of shutdown looms over wastewater discharge

MARGAO
Anxiety seemed writ large on the faces of the mutton, chicken, beef and pork meat vendors operating in the SGPDA mega retail market complex, but for a different reason “ imminent shut down of some of the meat shops over the discharge of waste water in the drains.

With fear and anxiety in their minds over the sealing of their shops and establishments, Thursday morning saw beleaguered meat vendors operating in the SGPDA retail market calling on SGPDA Member Secretary Sheikh Ali with a plea to take up cudgels for them before the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) and the district authorities.

Reason: Officials of the Salcete Mamlatdar upon instructions from the Collector has issued directions to some of the meat vendors to stop the storage of perishable food items inside the shops on the ground the establishments will be sealed and shut down any moment as per the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) directions.

Before the delegation of vendors called on the PDA Member Secretary Sheikh Ali, the beleaguered meat vendors had knocked the doors of the Collectorate officials not to seal their shops, but received a reply saying they are acting as per the directions of the Pollution Control Board.

“The Collectorate officials visited our shops and point blank told they are coming to seal the premises. We have been told not to store the perishable items inside and to remove the stock from the shops,” a meat vendor told the PDA Member Secretary.

The vendor added: “When we had gone to the Collectorate officials, they say nothing can be done since the directions have come from the GSPCB. They say that waste water generated in the meat stalls is being discharged in the drains.”

The vendors later told The Goan that they have been suffering because there is no coordination between the government departments. “The PDA should have got the sewerage line in the market. Around 10 years ago, we had told then PDA Member Secretary Vinod Kumar that the PDA should ensure that a sewerage line is laid in the PDA for disposal of the waste water, but in vain,” informed Leo Barretto.

He added: “We do not know where to go and approach since we are ready to connect our meat shops to the sewerage line, but the line is not there in the market. We have family to look after. Besides, many labourers eke a living on the trade in the PDA market.”

Another meat vendor Damodar Bavchikar echoed similar sentiments as they all kept their fingers crossed over what lies in store for them in the market if the Collector seals the meat shops as per the GSPCB directions.

2 decades on, no ETP in market to treat waste water

MARGAO: Can the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) abdicate its responsibility in providing a bare minimum facility of an Effluent Treatment Plant (WTP) to treat the waste generated in the mega retail market at Old market?

This question may come to haunt the SGPDA since it’s now over two decades since the mega SGPDA retail market complex was commissioned with much fanfare. Sadly, leave lone an underground sewerage line, the mega market complex does not play host to a common ETP to treat the waste water.

In fact, in the absence of a common ETP, the waste water generated in the mega retail market complex is discharged in the internal drains, which later finds its way into the storm water drain at Old Market, before the water flows into the river Sal.

The Goan had in April last raised the question of the absence of ETP in the PDA market at the time of the drain cleaning exercise when dirty water from the PDA gutters found its way into the storm water drain.

Remarked a vendor: “Is it not the responsibility of the PDA to make provision for the ETP at the time of market construction and commissioning. We have all the permission to run the stalls and regularly pay the taxes. Making available the basic infrastructure including ETP and sewerage line falls in the domain of the PDA and other authorities. Why are the vendors being blamed and punished for no fault of theirs.”

GSPCB directs, we execute: Addl Collector on role in market action

MARGAO: South Goa Additional Collector Srinet Kothwale has said the action contemplated in the SGPDA mega retail market against the shops and establishments, including meat stalls are based on the directions of the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB).

He said the GSPCB had been issuing notices to the shops and establishments to shut down the premises and forwarding the letters to the district Collector officials for execution of the pollution board directions. “Collector officials cannot take any decision on the plea made by the vendors and shop owners. Instead, they all should go to the GSPCB for relief. Our role is limited to execution of the GSPCB directions,” Kothwale added.

Salcete Mamlatdar Prataprao Gaonkar echoed similar sentiments. “Actually, we are not supposed to intimate the vendors that our team will seal the premises. On humanitarian grounds, however, we orally told the vendors to remove their stock from the shops since they are selling perishable items,” Gaonkar said adding that the Mamlatdar officials will be only executing the GSPCB orders.

Dozens of Margao shops face closure for unauthorised waste discharge

MARGAO: The GSPCB has mulled shutting down dozens of shops and establishments in the commercial capital, including the meat stalls in the PDA market, besides some shops in the Osia commercial complex and elsewhere on the ground these units are either discharging the waste in the drains or have no consent from the Board to operate the business.

In fact, the GSPCB has identified dozens of shops and establishments in the commercial capital for operating without the Board’s consent to operate and for discharging the waste water in the drains.

The joint inspection was carried out by GSPCB and MMC officials in the PIL filed by Navelim resident, Prof Antonio Alvares in the High Court alleging that sewage and waste water from Margao city is flowing into the Salpem Lake in Navelim for want of treatment of sewage and waste water.

Since then, the GSPCB had been issuing notices to the erring establishments to obtain the Board’s consent to operate and to discharge the sewage and waste water in the underground sewage line.