The Chief Minister said similar gasification plants would be installed in other urban areas in the near future and praised the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) for adopting the technology.
He, however, stressed that Margao could only become self-sufficient (Swayampurna) in waste management once it establishes its own comprehensive waste treatment system.
“This is the first gasification plant of its kind in Goa. Waste management is a top priority for the government, especially as people often approach courts due to foul odour and pollution caused by improper waste disposal. With this plant and other measures at Sonsodo, residents of three constituencies will get much-needed relief,” he said.
He also emphasised that true self-reliance in waste management would only be achieved when all waste generated within Margao is treated locally by the civic body.
Highlighting broader efforts, the Chief Minister noted that the government, along with private players, has invested around Rs 1,000 crore in waste treatment infrastructure, including sewage and effluent treatment plants, a biomedical waste facility, and a hazardous waste landfill. He added that sanitation workers have been granted temporary status, with plans to introduce medical allowances in the future.
PWD Minister Digambar Kamat said the 10 TPD gasification plant will process mixed waste such as sanitary waste, plastic, and waste from black spots. However, he pointed out that MMC currently sends wet waste to the Cacora plant due to insufficient local capacity, calling it a temporary solution. “The MMC must establish its own wet waste treatment facility,” he said, saying he would take up the matter with the government.
Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai echoed similar concerns, stating that while the gasification plant is a positive development, it will not fully resolve Margao’s waste challenges. “It will help manage coconut and sanitary waste, besides plastic and mixed waste, but the MMC has yet to set up the promised 15-tonne biomethanation plant at Sonsodo, as committed to the High Court,” he said.
Sardesai also acknowledged the role of High Court Justices Mahesh Sonak and Valmiki Menezes in pushing the government to address the long-standing waste crisis at Sonsodo.
“Remediation of the Sonsodo legacy dump was part of my common minimum programme when we formed the government in 2017. I along with then Chief Minister late Manohar Parrikar had addressed its first media briefing at Sonsodo. But, after my exit, things returned to full circle. It was after local residents moved the High Court, that things started moving again after the Court got the authorities to bring a turnaround,” he recalled.
