MARGAO: The Shadow Council for Margao (SCM) has questioned the cost calculation of the pending bills of Rs 85 lakh for bioremediation of waste at Sonsoddo dumpsite.
SCM convener Savio Coutinho said, “Pending bills of Rs 85 lakh for the bioremediation of the waste from the Sonsoddo plant have once again revealed that all efforts of waste segregation by Margao residents have gone down the drain.
“While only compost should have come from the segregated wet waste, but on account of non-treatment, the waste has ended up on the screens of the bioremediation contractor, making the MMC poorer by a whopping Rs 85 lakh. And considering that a similar quantity of waste is once again lying inside the Fomento shed, very soon it will be time to spend an additional amount for its remediation, SCM cautioned.
“The SCM will definitely prefer to question the basis upon which the tonnage of the waste for bioremediation is calculated, as there is no record of any laden truck being mounted on the weighbridge,” Coutinho said.
“The contractor claims that over one lakh ton (from the estimated 2.35 lakh tonnes existing there) of the old dump has been remediated. However, considering that there is hardly any significant reduction in the height of the waste mountain we fear that the final quantity that may emerge from the bills produced, may cross 3-4 lakh tonnes”, Coutinho cautioned.
“We hope that the Margao Municipal Council also takes stock of the remediation process and keeps itself abreast on the quantum of work executed. MMC’s “Amkam Kiteak Podlam” attitude, just because bioremediation work is undertaken by the GWMC should change”, SCM advised.
