nFrancis has doubts on April 1 start nVijai confident it will happen
the goan I network
MARGAO
Francis D’Souza told The Goan that he has no issue if the new government does not want to engage the contractor finalized by Goa Urban Development Agency (GSUDA) to carry out bio-remediation of the Sonsodo dump yard. “During my stint as Urban Development Minister in the last five years, I wanted to get rid of the existing dumps at Campal, Vasco and Margao. We had tendered all three works, but while Campal and Mormugao have welcomed the projects, the work could not start at Margao for want of a land fill site,” Francis told The Goan.
He said that GSUDA finalized contractor was bracing up to take up the Sonsodo bio-remediation project, but could not do so after the Margao civic body expressed its inability to make available a landfill site to dispose the waste generated during bio-remediation.
When his attention was drawn to the new plan to involve the GSIDC to clear the Sonsodo dump yard via bio-remediation, the Urban development Minister said he has no issue if the GSIDC is roped in to clear the dump yard. He, however, hastened to question whether the Sonsodo project has been tendered and whether the GSIDC has complied with the codal formalities.
“When GSUDA had agreed to take up the work of bio-remediation of the Sosnodo, Vasco and Campal dumps, we had floated tenders, inviting bids from prospective parties to undertake the work. I do not know whether GSIDC has complied with the codal formalities,” he said.
When The Goan contacted TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai to ascertain whether the GSIDC has complied with the codal formalities to take up the Sonsodo bio-remediation project, he said the GSIDC will take up the job as part of an extension of the ongoing work at Saligao. “Since the GSIDC is already doing a similar job at Saligao, the new government had invited the agency to take up the work at Sonsodo. I do not think the work at Sonsodo needs to be tendered since GSIDC can take up the job as part of the extension of the Saligao bio-remediation project,” Sardesai said.
Francis misses date with HPCC
MARGAO: The High Powered Co-ordination Committee (HPCC) on Sonsodo bio-remediation project could not meet for the second day today, and this time it was due to the absence of Urban Development Minister, Francis D’Souza.
The HPCC headed by Chief Minister, Manohar Parrikar was scheduled to meet and take a decision on replacing the Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA) with Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC) to carry out the operation at Sosnodo.
The meeting was convened during the last two days specifically to take a decision to involve the GSIDC since GSUDA had last year finalized a contractor from Delhi to carry out the bio-remediation of the Sonsodo waste; but the project could not take off for want of landfill site.
With the two meeting dates fixed by the HPCC to take a decision went abegging, no one knows for sure when the chief minister-headed committee will meet again and whether the government will keep its word on starting the bio-remediation project at Sonsodo from April 1.
