Benaulim locals collect waste, dump near VP

MARGAO, DEC 6
In an attempt to expose the Benaulim Panchayat on the failure on the garbage front, residents along with members of the Benaulim Village Action Committee (BVAC) on Monday collected tons of waste from the village and dumped the gunny bags near the Panchayat ghar for disposal.
The citizens conveyed a message loud and clear to the Panchayat that today’s waste collection drive has proved that the so called garbage collection system started by the Panchayat body is a farce.
Convenor of the Benaulim Civic and Consumer Forum Ciriaco Barretto said that garbage is not just a problem in the village, but a big menace.
He said the panchayat had made tall claims in an affidavit filed in the high court that it has hired labourers for garbage collection and sought to know why the waste has been lying along the roadsides all these days without collection. “The Panchayat had made tall claims in an affidavit filed in the high court that the garbage management system is in place and that it has hired labourers to collect and dispose off the waste. Information under the RTI shows the opposite and proves that everything is false”, Barretto said, adding that despite the claims that waste has been piling up in the village
Replying to a question, he said that garbage has been increasing day by day and that the youth have made it a point to prove the Panchayat about the situation. “The youth have brought the garbage to the Panchayat to show the actual situation in the village. The Panchayat says that everything is under control, but this is the actual situation”, he added.
BVAC leader Seby Fernandes said the Panchayat has filed an allegedly false affidavit in the high court by saying the body has constructed a composting unit. “We have collected the waste from just one side of the road. This is just to show to the Panchayat the real garbage situation in Benaulim”, he said and demanded to know the location of the composting unit.
Seby sought to know why the deputy Sarpanch Stanley Fernandes has not come to the panchayat today and warned that the situation would go out of hand if things are controlled now.
Panchayat secretary Deepak Shet said the Panchayat has appointed a contractor to clear the waste from the village, but admitted that the lone labourer is not adequate to meet the requirements.
Meanwhile, acting Sarpanch Stanley Fernandes said that the contractor appointed by the Panchayat body will be told to dispose the waste.