MARGAO
After a break, waste burning has returned back on the southern side of the Margao Municipal garden, which was renovated earlier this year by the Forest Department, posing health hazard to the citizens.
Waste burning had stopped after Margao MLA Digambar Kamat with Margao civic chief Damu Shirodkar in tow inaugurated the renovated garden on the southern side, opposite the Margao post office. In fact, when the media had drawn attention of the Margao MLA over rampant waste burning inside the Municipal garden, the MLA had issued strict instructions to the civic body as well as the Forest Department.
Sadly, waste burning has returned back at the garden after a break. Late Wednesday night saw a huge bonfire of garden waste which was accumulated by the sweepers working at the garden. A citizen, who takes a late evening walk around the Margao Municipal garden, said the waste burning almost every alternate day could pose a health hazard to the citizens if not stopped immediately. “This is akin to slow poison. Just imagine a situation if the garden waste is disposed of by burning every alternate night. This has to stop immediately,” he said.
The citizen made a fervent plea for the intervention of the Margao MLA Digambar Kamat to stop the nuisance and a health hazard. “Kamat controls the Margao Municipal Council. He should get the garden workers stop burning the waste,” the citizen added.
It could not be gathered whether the waste burning is part of a deliberate plan to dispose of the waste by burning since the Margao civic body has been struggling to dispose of garden and vegetable waste for want of any treatment.
Though the civic body has procured a shredder to concert vegetable waste into power, the facility has not been able to meet the city’s requirements, as a result of which one would come across garden waste dumped by citizens along the roadsides.
The city has been literally struggling to handle and dispose of garden and vegetable waste since the last two months after the waste dump near the KTC bus stand came under the lens of the High Court. Since then, the civic body has been scouting for open spaces to handle the vegetable waste generated in the city.
