MAPUSA
Several current and former sarpanchas have voiced concerns over the inadequacy of government grants to tackle garbage issues in their villages, stating that the funding provided falls significantly short of the actual expenses incurred.
According to their statements, the grants have been discontinued for at least three years, leaving panchayats to bear the burden of waste management costs.
Former sarpanch of Bastora, Savio Martins, emphasized the disparity between government assistance and the actual expenses, stating, "The government had stopped the grants for garbage management at least three years back. Five years back we were getting some financial assistance from the government but that was a pittance compared to what we had to spend to tackle waste management in the village."
Jalindhar Gaonkar, former sarpanch of Assagao, echoed Martins' sentiments, noting that the grants provided by the government were insufficient and unpredictable.
"The government was giving us Rs 2 lakh but we were spending Rs 25 lakh and above to tackle the waste menace," Gaonkar stated.
Calangute panchayat secretary, Arjun Velip, highlighted the financial strain faced by panchayats, revealing that the practice of issuing financial grants for garbage management was halted three years ago.
"The Calangute panchayat spends around Rs 18 lakh per month to tackle waste in the village," Velip disclosed.
Meanwhile, Aldona Sarpanch, Ahswin D’Souza, disclosed that his panchayat had resorted to utilizing funds from the 14th Finance Commission to address waste management challenges.
D’Souza also mentioned that the government had instructed them to increase fees for garbage collection as part of their measures to mitigate the issue.
