MARGAO
This may call for introspection and a subject matter of debate in the corridors of the Margao Municipal Council and outside on waste collection and disposal.
For, the ongoing drive initiated by the civic body to crack a whip against unscrupulous persons from the neighbouring villages disposing of waste in the Municipal jurisdiction has revealed a significant of the violators hailing from the city limits.
In fact, while the fines collected by the civic body has crossed the Rs 50,000 figure mark on Thursday, a disturbing trend has come to the fore that many of the violators are residents of the city and not from the neighbouring villages.
The Sadekar lane, which has been playing host to a black spot over the years, with waste finding its way to the lane, mostly from the market area, seemed to have become the favourite waste disposal site for unscrupulous citizens.
For, the civic body has collected fine amounting to around Rs 20,000 from the violators caught red handed for disposing waste at the Sadekar lane, throwing up questions whether all is well with Margao Municipal Council’s door-to-door waste collection system implemented in the city by spending a whopping Rs 5-odd crore annually.
Inquiries by the MMC sanitary inspectors, who have been authorised to fine the violators for disposing of waste at the black spots, have revealed that the violators have claimed that they are forced to dispose of the waste at the black spot because of erratic waste collection by the contractors.
“One of the violators pointed out that the waste collectors do not come to collect the waste from his residence. They have sought to know how are they supposed to dispose of the daily waste when the waste collectors do not come to their house to lift the waste,” remarked MMC sanitary inspector Viraj Arabekar.
He added: “While the violators are caught red-handed while disposing of the waste at the black spots located on the bordering areas hail from the villages, those caught disposing of waste at the Sadekar lane were citizens of the city.”
Another citizen told the MMC team patrolling a black spot near the Comba subway that he is forced to dispose of the waste at the site as the waste collectors have not come to collect the waste.
The sanitary inspector pointed out that he would draw the attention of the Margao Municipal Chief Officer that waste dumped at the black spots not only comes from across the Municipal borders, but from within the city.
The Margao Municipal Council charges annual fees amounting to Rs 900 on each of the households and establishments, who have been paying the house tax. However, the city plays host to thousands of illegal houses and establishments, which do not pay the garbage fees on the ground they do no pay the house taxa and trade license respectively given they are illegal in nature.
