Taking the platform of Dussehra festivities, Fatorda MLA tells supporters he has nothing against waste management minister and is waiting to host him at his residence
the goan I network
MARGAO
After bitter acrimony and war of words over the Sonsodo imbroglio, Goa Forward chief and Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai has held out an olive branch to Waste Management Minister Michael Lobo, inviting him to discuss and resolve the waste issue over a drink.
Taking the platform of Dussehra festivities to make peace with the Waste Management Minister, Sardesai told his supporters and party workers that he has nothing against Michael and is waiting to host him at his residence and offer him with a nice drink. “Michael is no stranger to my residence. With Navratri and Dussehra over, I invite Michael to my residence and will offer him a nice drink if that helps to resolve the Sonsodo issue,” he said, while inviting the Waste Management Minister to Fatorda to work out a solution to the Sonsodo mess.
“From Saligao, you cannot make statements on Sonsodo. People of Saligao are asking questions on the waste issue in that area. I have nothing against Michael. He used to come to my residence in the past. After Dussehra, we can sit together and work out a solution to Sonsodo. The matter is in the court and we cannot speak against the court. I am ready for discussion. There may be some people who may be behind the Minister to talk in a particular language,” Sardesai said, while offering an invitation to the Waste Management Minister on Sonsodo.
Sardesai’s offer to the Waste Management Minister assumes significance as it comes against the backdrop of the bitter acrimony between the friends over the Sonsodo issue. In fact, Michael had snubbed the Fatorda MLA during his inspection of the Sonsodo site, driving past the MLA and his supporters without giving them an audience on the issue, only to come under sharp attack from the local MLA.
A week on, but no sign of HPCC meet nor has Pollution
Control Board collected samples from Sonsodo site
MARGAO: It’s exactly a week since the Margao Municipal Council had knocked the doors of the government to convene the High Powered Coordination Committee (HPCC) to resolve the Sonsodo impasse.
And, it’s a week now when the District Court-directed joint inspection of the Sonsodo was carried out by the MMC, Fomento in the presence of Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) to ascertain the nature of waste lying inside the treatment plant.
Sadly, neither there’s any news from the government on the convening of the High Powered Coordination Committee (HPCC) headed by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, nor has GSPCB officials collected samples of the waste from the Sonsodo treatment plant, leave alone submitting any report on the waste categorisation.
On Tuesday last, Margao Municipal Council Chief Officer Sidhivinayak Naik had written a letter to the government to convene the HPCC meeting to discuss the issue threadbare and evolve a solution. The MMC CO’s letter came after the civic body had repeatedly submitted before the South Goa District Court to grant time to resolve the issue on the plea that the government is keen to call the HPCC meeting at the earliest.
Interestingly, both Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Waste Management Minister Michael Lobo have been in Saxttidom, with Lobo even going to the extent of saying that bio-remediation of waste would soon start at Sonsodo, but maintained stoic silence on convening the HPCC meeting.
That’s not all. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had also addressed a host of issues plaguing Salcete, but was silent on MMC’s plea to hold a meeting of the HPCC headed by him.
The Goan understands that the question of the nature of the tonnes of waste lying inside remains unresolved with the GSPCB still to collect samples from the treatment plant for testing at its lab to ascertain whether the waste is excluded or compostable. This crucial question needs to be addressed on urgent basis as it will determine which amongst the two parties, the MMC or Fomento is liable to treat the waste.
Inquiries by The Goan with the waste treatment plant managers revealed that the GSPCB has returned back to Sonsodo to collect samples of the waste from the plant till date. This assumes significance since the GSPCB officials, after the joint inspection, had informed that GSPCB personnel will come to collect the waste samples before the same is tested in the lab.
