the goan I network
MARGAO
Will the Margao Municipal Council come out with a roadmap on Monday to resolve the burning issue of garbage plaguing the city over the years?
Indeed, issues dogging the solid waste management will take the centre stage in the civic body with the Director of Municipal Administration R Menaka expected to visit the municipality on Monday noon and the council’s special meeting in the morning to discuss amongst other issues, waste collection and segregation.
The DMA’s expected visit to the civic body on Monday noon and the council’s special meeting in the morning assumes significance as they come against the backdrop of the inspection of the Sonsodo waste dumping site by National Green Tribunal’s regional committee headed by Justice Deodhar last month and the recommendation to immediately go in for segregation of waste at source.
Sources in the civic body said the DMA’s visit is linked to the NGT panel’s recommendation to the civic body to accord utmost priority to the waste collection at source to resolve the burning issue of waste collection and disposal in the commercial capital.
Sources said the DMA is expected to guide the civic body how to go about the work of waste collection at source in the light of NGT panel’s recommendations.
Says MMC Chairperson Babita Prabhudesai: “We have invited the DMA to the civic body to guide the civic body how to go about the waste collection at source since it involved a host of issues.
The DMA had accompanied the NGT panel to the Sonsodo waste dumping site last month and she is expected to brief the council on the recommendations and how to go about the work”.
She said the solid waste management issue will also figure at the special meeting of the council convened by her on Monday morning. “Since the council has started waste segregation at source in seven out of the 25 municipal wards, the Monday special meeting will take a call on a proposal to extend the door-to-door garbage pick up and segregation contract of the existing contractor/self help group to another five wards,” Babita said.
MMC CO Siddivinayak Naik said the DMA’s visit to the civic body may also help in shortlisting agencies which can guide and help the municipality to take up segregation.
“After NGT visit, we had a meeting with the Secretary, Urban Development, who later asked us to invite the DMA to the civic body to prepare a road map,” Naik added.
