MARGAO
In a bid to address the burning waste disposal issues plaguing the commercial capital, the Margao Municipal Council has inked a tripartite agreement with Goa Energy Development Agency (GEDA) and the Pune-based Ms GD Environmental Pvt Ltd to set up a 10TPD gasification plant at the Sonsodo waste management site.
However, the issue of funding of the pilot project, estimated to cost Rs 7.5 crore, is yet to be resolved till date. As GEDA has proposed the pilot project to be set up at Sonsodo, the Margao Municipal Council has suggested to the government to bear the cost of the entire project. In the alternative, the MMC has maintained that GEDA and the government should bear the capital cost of the project, pegged around Rs 3.5 crore, saying the civic body can then look into the issue of funding the operation and maintenance cost spread across five years.
Margao Municipal officials informed that the gasification plant will go into operation from early January 2026. The Pune-based company has already started the fabrication work on the project at Pune and the same is expected to be transported to Sonsodo for installation in the first week of December. “The gasification plant is expected to be commissioned by year-end before conducting the trial runs. The plant is expected to go into full operation from January 2026,” informed a senior civic official.
The gasification plant technology, implemented for the first time in Goa at Sonsodo, is proposed primarily to tackle the mixed waste generated at the black spots.
The tripartite agreement mandates the Margao Municipal Council to provide waste to the Pune-based company for treatment. The MMC will also allow the company to set up the plant at the existing waste management shed.
MMC officials informed of the total cost of Rs 7.5 crore, around Rs 3.5 crore will be the capital cost of the project, while the balance Rs 3 crore is required to be paid by the civic body to the company in instalments for a period of five years. “The operation cost will cover the maintenance as well as operation, including power and water required to run the plant,” informed an official.
