MARGAO
Stench, filth, litter, garbage et al have all been the order of the day in the commercial capital over the years, be it at the Sonsodo waste dumping site or around the city markets, including Goa’s lone wholesale fish market or the retail fish markets.
If Sonsodo has been known for all the wrong reasons, for the recurring fires, leachate, water contamination and air pollution over the decades, unhygienic conditions has been the order of the day at the SGPDA wholesale fish and retail markets.
The eyesore may hopefully be a thing of the past at Sonsodo or at the city markets in the near future, which may enable citizens to breathe easy, thanks to the High Court bench comprising of Justice M S Sonak and Justice Bharat Deshpande.
High Court intervention and monitoring of the remediation of the Sonsodo legacy dump in the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by local NGO Citizens for Sonsodo through its secretary Roque Mascarenhas and the Court’s directions to put a waste mechanism system in place at the waste management shed has held out a promise to bring about a turnaround at Sonsodo.
And, now the High Court’s close monitoring of the pathetic state of affairs around the wholesale fish market and the retail fish market in the Suo Moto Writ petition promises to put hygiene and sanitation in the markets.
Sonsodo legacy dump
The Sonsodo legacy dump had come under the High Court scanner since the time the Citizens for Sonsodo filed the PIL writ petition. Not only did the High Court got the Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) got its act together to tackle the legacy dump by setting a timeline, the Court sent across a message loud and clear that it would not remain a silent spectator if the contractor does not take the remediation of the legacy dump to the logical conclusion.
With the GWMC filing a report in the High Court, claiming that the Sonsodo dump has been remediated, the Court has now set its focus on the lifting away of of the RDF and the inert generated during the waste remediation process, to ensure that the entire process is completed within the time-frame.
Wet waste handling
The wet waste problem plaguing Sonsodo was never a part of the Public Interest Litigation filed by the Citizens for Sonsodo. But, High Court’s instruction to the Margao Municipal Council to file a status report on the wet waste handling at the Sonsodo management shed opened a can of worms, completely exposing the Civic body hollow over the state of affairs.
In fact, in a span of five months, since April 12 last till date, when the High Court had issued directions to the Margao Civic body on wet waste handling, things have started moving at Sonsodo in putting a mechanism in place. That the High Court meant business in bringing out a turnaround in the wet waste disposal at Sonsodo became evident when the Court directed the South Goa district Collector, Asvin Chandru to inspect Sonsodo and file a status report on the situation.
Thanks to the High Court directions, the Margao Municipality has finalized a contractor to put a fire mechanism in place at Sonsodo. And, the process of remediating the wet waste piled up inside the Sonsodo waste management shed has been sat in motion.
SGPDA’s stinking wholesale
and retail fish markets
Strange it may seem, but true that the Margao Municipal Council and the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) resorted to a blame game over the waste and garbage hit the wholesale fish market and the retail fish market just a couple of month ago. The two authorities were vocal in insisting on their jurisdiction, pushing the blame on each other and abdicating their responsibility in the handling and disposal of waste at the SGPDA retail and wholesale fish markets.
Taking strong cognizance of the pathetic situation at the retail fish market, sources said the High Court had once observed that while footwear is now available for sale in air conditioned malls, people are forced to buy fish in stinking markets.
Before officials of the SGPDA and MMC gave an undertaking to the High Court on Wednesday that they will inspect the wholesale fish market in the evening, Justice Bharat Deshpande and Justice M S Sonak had expressed concern over the observations made by the Goa state Pollution Control Board over the state of affairs around the wholesale fish market, terming the situation quite disturbing. In fact, the High Court observed that neither the SGPDA which is operating the market nor the MMC appear to be taking any concrete steps to either prevent unauthorized littering or discharge of waste water in drains and fields.
That officials of the SGPDA and the MMC have been directed to have a meeting with the stakeholders, with further directions to the planning body to install CCTV cameras, indicating that the High Court means business in putting the SGPDA wholesale fish and retail markets in order.
Waste dumping near
the KTC bus stand
The Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA)-acquired land near the KTC bus stand had virtually emerged as a mini-Sonsodo over the years, with the Margao Municipality resorting to open dumping of vegetable and garden waste at the site.
The illegal practice of open dumping has been continuing unabated over the last couple of years, with the site playing host to fires, and unhygienic conditions.
Fervent pleas made by the local residents to put an end to the illegal waste dumping had fallen on deaf ears of the Margao Municipality and the Powers that be.
Thanks to the High Court, the Margao Municipality has now barred the Municipal workers from dumping waste near the KTC bus stand. The turnaround came after the High Court’s attention was drawn to the illegal waste dumping while hearing the PIL petition on Sonsodo, prompting the Civic body to stop the illegality.
