PACHU MENON
It was indeed amusing to read the statistics proffered by the South Goa police for the last ten months with regards to cases booked by various police stations under its jurisdiction vis-Ã -vis the Goa Non-Biodegradable Garbage (Control) Act, 1996, which prohibits disposal of garbage in public places, drains and sewage.
But if these figures are meant to extol the labours of the police in curbing the menace of garbage-dumping, the data by itself contradicts the overall efforts put in to check this obnoxious habit. For, the information collected warns of a trend where the issue is getting unmanageable with each passing year.
According to the Act: “No person, by himself or through another, shall knowingly or otherwise throw or cause to be thrown in drain, ventilation shaft, pipe and fittings, connected with the private or public drainage any non-biodegradable garbage.” But then it is an observable fact that all these are the most ‘favoured avenues’ opted for by the locals for disposing off their garbage. People continue to wantonly display their uncivil mannerisms without the fear of any punishment deterring them from acting otherwise.
The Act states that: “whoever is guilty of intentional omission in contravention of any of the provisions of it, or of any rules, notification or order issued or given under it, shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one month or with fine which may extend to Rs. 5000, or with both.” But how many have actually been fined or imprisoned for littering?
But all said and done, this social malaise cannot be addressed by the police and the administration alone. It has to be a collective effort with public participation playing an equally important role.
Meanwhile the menace of garbage disposal in public places and water bodies continues unabated.
How often have we come across people causing annoying traffic hold-ups on bridges only to throw waste bags into the flowing waters below? And the contention that flowers are not hazardous and do not pollute water bodies is however overshadowed by the impious sights of these ‘sacred’ objects washed ashore and lying as putrefying waste to be trampled upon.
Furthermore, if one is to go by the ‘orders’ posted by the administration against illegal dumping of waste, the public reaction to these regulatory advises clearly expose them as mere formalities indulged in by the establishment to bring about some civic sense among the people. However, the heaps of trash especially in places where there are warnings posted by the civic bodies against indulging in this nefarious activity is an indication of the scant respect shown by the public towards any ‘authoritarian’ stance against the most ‘convenient’ method of garbage disposal available.
Very obviously, panchayats and municipalities have failed miserably in dissuading the public from dumping garbage at any open space available.
The putrid smell that greets people in the alley between two buildings in the new market in the vicinity of Borkar Superstores in Margao has been a conspicuous aspect of the swachata that has prevailed in the city for decades now - a consequence of trash dumped all through the years! And mind you, a municipal waste pick-up van is often espied parked there!
Beware, illegal dumping sites can spring up anywhere! Developed plots in and around the cities that are unoccupied have also become convenient refuse dumps for the public.
There was a story of an NRI in Kerala who purchased a plot of land and thought of constructing a house on it after his retirement. In the absence of a responsible person to keep an eye on it, his plot turned into a public dumping yard. After running from pillar to post and eliciting no response from the authorities, he had to resort to his own ingenious ways to clear his piece of land of all the waste.
These days, it is also not uncommon to have huge piles of junk material and construction debris dumped by the road side. Where the fear of penalties desist owners of public-carriers to engage in such unlawful activities, there are quite a few who are more than willing, for a price of course, to carry out the clandestine affairs under the cover of darkness.
Food waste and other refuse from the kitchens of restaurants and eateries in the vicinity piling up alongside interior roads do raise scares of health risks, but yet the activities go on relentlessly.
In the absence of proper guidelines, the state has had to deal with errant tourists making a mess. A festive occasion or an event showcased as the tourism hallmark of the state invariably leaves a signature stench well after the culmination of the gaieties.
People nowadays appear to associate the act of transferring trash from within ones premises to some other area as the best form of garbage disposal. But by no yardstick could the accumulation of filth in and around living habitats be considered as signs of a healthy civilization!
Although the onus is on every Goan to be actively involved in seeking solutions to the disposal of the ever-burgeoning trash-heaps in their immediate neighbourhood, it needs to be emphasized that the susegado attitude of the locals has been responsible for the lackadaisical approach exhibited.
With umpteen suggestions making the rounds for the public to proactively engage in countering the effects of garbage dumping, it is difficult to comprehend the sadistic pleasure many continue to derive from littering the landscape.
