MARGAO
Margao Municipal Council’s ambitious 10-tonne gasification waste treatment plant is taking shape at the Sonsodo waste management shed, raising hopes that the facility may go operational either by the end of January or in February.
The Pune-based company, which has bagged the contract to set up the plant at an estimated cost of Rs seven crore, has started work on installing the pre-fabricated plant at Sonsodo. Once commissioned, the plant will dispose of the mixed waste at the 40-odd black spots across the commercial capital.
Margao municipal engineer Deepak Desai informed that the work has begun as per the tripartite agreement between the contractor, MMC and the Goa Energy Development Agency (GEDA).
“The contractor has assured to put the plant in place in the next 10 days. This will be followed by trial runs, before it is fully commissioned by the end of January or in February,” Desai said.
However, uncertainty remains over funding, with the MMC requesting the government to bear the capital cost of Rs 3.5 crore, while the remaining amount is proposed to be paid in instalments over five years.
“Since the project was mooted by GEDA as a pilot project, the MMC has requested the government to bear the capital cost, amounting to Rs 3.5 crore. The balance amount can be borne by the civic body,” sources said.
Presently, the MMC does not treat any wet waste generated in Margao, with the civic body daily transporting around 30 tonnes of wet waste to the Cacora waste treatment plant for treatment.
“The gasification plant will not fully meet the waste management requirements of the MMC. We hope the plant will treat the mixed waste generated at the black spots to bring about a turnaround,” said an MMC official.
