The government and the Margao Municipal Council appeared undecided on how to go about tackling the thousands of tonnes of existing waste at the Sonsodo dump yard. If the Digambar Kamat government had granted in principle nod for capping of the Sonsodo dump yard on the lines of Gorai-Mumbai, the proposal had also found favour with the Manohar Parrikar government.
Sadly, the ground reality remains unchanged at Sonsodo till date, though the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) had raised strong reservations to the capping proposal, favouring segregation of the existing waste and reclamation of the site for future development.
While Fomento Green has washed its hands off the matter, saying the matter does not fall within its domain, inquiries by Herald have revealed that the Margao civic body has forwarded the proposal estimated to cost the exchequer Rs seven crore to the government for financial sanction.
“The proposal is presently pending with the government. Unless the government sanctions the necessary funds, it will be impossible to execute the project,” a civic official said.
Sources in the know said the Goa State Pollution Control Board is totally not in favour of capping the Sonsodo dump yard. GSPCB officials said the civic body would lose the site – admeasuring 15,000 sq mts – permanently if the municipality goes ahead with the capping. Instead, the GSPCB has mooted segregation of the existing waste and carting away the rejects to a landfill site.
Incidentally, while the Concession agreement mandates Fomento Green to segregate the existing waste and cart it away to a side identified by the civic body, the waste segregation was put off after testing of the existing waste confirmed traces of heavy metal at the site.
