MARGAO
It’s now official. The Sonsodo waste treatment plant is not operating as per the norms in place, nor is there any maintenance of the plant and machinery, resulting in waste piling up inside the plant.
To tide over the situation, Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) Environmental engineer Sajeev Joglekar has suggested a two-pronged strategy to the Margao Municipal Council “ float an Expression of Interest (EoI) to rope in a contractor to run the existing treatment plant and go for a 50-tonne bio-digester to resolve the imbroglio as part of a long-term solution.
Both the Margao MLA Digambar Kamat and his Fatorda counterpart Vijai Sardesai, however, said the elected Margao Municipal Council will take a final call on the EoI as well as on the 50-tonne bio-digester.
The draft-EOI, which will be prepared by the Goa Waste Management Corporation is expected to be placed before the Council meeting in the coming week.
During the Power point presentation conducted by Joglekar and his team, it became apparent that the existing plant has failed to meet the requirements at Sonsodo.
In fact, Joglekar and Margao Municipal Assistant Engineer, Vishant Naik were categorical in saying the situation is bleak at the non-functional plant, resulting in daily wet waste pilling up inside the shed.
Joglekar suggested that MMC float an EoI to rope in a contractor to run the plant till an alternate solution is worked out. On the bio-methanation plants, Joglekar suggested a 50 tonne bio-digester or two digesters of 25 tonne each as recommended by High Powered Coordination Committee headed by the Chief Minister.
Briefing the media, Digambar Kamat said, “Since the existing plant is not running satisfactorily, it has been decided to float an EoI to run the plant.”
Vijai Sardesia said there ought to be no politics over Sonsodo, saying the MMC should engage a contractor since the Civic body has no expertise to run the plant. “Since the last HPCC meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, nothing has happened at Sonsodo. The plant is full with daily waste, throwing waste treatment haywire”, he said.
