Team Herald
MARGAO: Residents of Aquem, along with the Shadow Council for Margao, accused the Margao Municipal Council of resorting to burning waste to reduce their burden of garbage disposal and demanded that the civic body explain their polluting practices, which subject residents to toxic smoke.
On Monday, SCM convenor Savio Coutinho was called to the vicinity of St Joseph’s School and Pratibha Housing Society in Aquem, after residents complained that Municipal workers were burning garbage in the open.
“When we questioned the workers of the waste
collection contractor, they replied that the MMC supervisor was responsible for setting the waste on fire,” said Coutinho.
Claiming that the supervisor had to be acting on instructions from his superiors in that case, Coutinho demanded an explanation from MMC Chairperson Damodar, as the waste was being burnt in his neighbourhood. Coutinho alleged that the main reason for the burning of waste was to reduce the quantity of waste the Council would have to handle at the Sonsoddo facility.
Local resident Jude Cardozo called upon the MMC to immediately put an end to the burning of waste and appealed to the Shadow Council to take up the matter, to spare the residents of breathing the cancer-
causing smoke.
Coutinho said that the people of Aquem have started to become vocal about the civic issues affecting them, and hoped that all the people of Margao would soon voice out their issues, without fear.
