Waste piles, stray cattle still haunt SGPDA retail market

Garbage seen lying around in the SGPDA mega retail market.

MARGAO

Has anything really changed in the ongoing waste management problem at the SGPDA mega retail market? After the much-publicised meeting between the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) and the Margao Municipal Council (MMC), many expected some improvement — but that doesn’t seem to be the case.  

A visit to the market shows that the situation remains the same. Stray cattle still feed on vegetable waste dumped on the open PDA grounds. Piles of garbage are seen outside the market sheds, and plastic bottles continue to choke the drains. This shows a serious lack of a proper waste collection and disposal system under the SGPDA.  

Despite several suggestions by the MMC, nothing much has changed. The Council had asked the SGPDA to place waste bins in the parking area to help with proper collection and disposal. This has not been done.  

The MMC had also advised putting bins inside the market, near the stalls and sheds, so that waste can be separated and disposed of at the source. But this, too, has not been followed.  

As a result, visitors still see garbage heaps, including thermocol waste, dumped outside the sheds. This ongoing mess clearly shows the failure to set up even a basic system for waste handling inside the market.  

The situation shows that urgent action is needed. The SGPDA and MMC must work together and take responsibility before things get worse.