the goan I network
PORVORIM
Garbage is illegally being offloaded outside the Saligao Garbage Treatment Plant, leading to a huge dump outside the plant and unbearable stench in the area.
This was brought to the notice of a group of members of the Candolim Residents and Consumer Forum, when they had visited the GTP at the Saligao plateau to ascertain the stench at the plant.
“Since residents in the area were faced with unbearable stench from the plant, the forum decided to visit the plant,” said a forum member Roshan Mathias.
“Officials at the GTP took us to a dump outside the plant and said the foul smell was being generated at this dump and not from inside the plant.”
The forum members were informed that the GTP was originally designed to treat garbage from villages located along the coastal belt, Siquerim, Candolim, Calangute, Baga, Arpora and Saligao.
“But the GTP is now receiving garbage from more than 27 panchyats and due to political pressure, they are forced to accept garbage from all those panchayats,” said Mathias.
Mathias said GTP officials have the written to the panchayats to send only segregated garbage and have begun to turn back trucks with unsegregated garbage.
“Many trucks unregistered with the GTP also arrive at the plant and wait till 5.30 pm. If not allowed entry to the plant, the trucks dump garbage in the open space outside the plant and this has led to another dump outside the GTP,” said Mathias.
“The officials have informed us that remediation work of the dump outside the GTP is in progress and is expected to be completed before the monsoon,” said Mathias.
