Chaka Chak: Of the people, by the people, for the people

PANJIM, JAN 26
Goa finally began to get its house in order and clean up. From Bambolim to Benaulim and other place in between, in several villages and small towns, in the mainland and the coast, the youth of Goa took up arms – brooms, gunny bags, gloves and assorted tools to pick up plastic, paper and other recyclable waste. It was an effort to make Goa clean and Chaka Chak – a north Indian expression that has no dictionary meaning but a heartfelt message. Spruce up.
For a change the premises outside Goa Medical College (GMC) & Hospital in Bambolim looked clean. Mount of garbage containing tetra packs, bottles and straws and other plastic dumped into quarry outside GMC gate had disappeared. Thanks to ‘Chaka Chak Goa’ campaign launched today.
As part of the campaign, a cleanliness drive was taken up along Bambolim highway with big participation of college students. Within two hours, between 9.30 am to 11.30 am, they managed to lift over 300 kg of plastic and other garbage dumped along the national highways.
“Around 800 NSS students along with activists and locals picked up plastic and other garbage strewn along the Bambolim highway,” told Patricia Pinto, co-ordinator ‘Chaka Chak Goa’ campaign.
“The cleanliness drive is undertaken to highlight importance of keeping Goa clean,” Patricia said while explaining the purpose behind the drive and added that they will work throughout the year with the panchayats in setting up waste management system since the garbage problem would not be solved overnight.
However, on the flip side of the drive, some students who joined the ‘Chaka Chak Goa’ campaign seem to be quite oblivious of the garbage scenario in their own homes.
A third year student of Dhempe College, Preeti Gawas did not mind joining the cleanliness drive even though she has never bothered to find what happens to the garbage generated in her own backyard.
But she adds: “We are here not just because we will get some extra marks being part of the campaign but we are here because we want a clean environment.”
Another student Jennifer D’Souza who also pitched in to clean the highway gleefully admitted that she too has never bothered to find out whether garbage from her house is really taken care of, or just dumped somewhere.
Nevertheless, NSS students who participated in the drive feel that dumping of garbage in the State is slowly ruining the clean environment of the State.
Later, Patricia along with some volunteers approached the kiosk owners and vendors, doing business outside the GMC premises requesting them not to dump garbage along the roadside.
They were instructed to hand over garbage generated in their shops to Curca-Bambolim-Telaulim panchayat which has agreed to start daily garbage collection outside the GMC premises.
“Curca-Bambolim-Telaulim Sarpanch Subhash Dias has agreed to collect garbage from kiosk owners and vendors outside GMC,” she added and informed that the Panchayat had also sent its labourers to join in the collection drive.
A kiosk owner Vicky Havgnur was more than willing to agree to the suggestion since he has witnessed rubbish being dumped into a quarry opposite his kiosk.
Speaking to Herald, Vicky said that the garbage menace became worse ever since the GMC stopped collecting waste from kiosk owners.
“A year ago GMC stopped taking our garbage,” Vicky informed and added that since then kiosk owners and vendors started dumping all waste in the quarry located along the road as there was no other facility. Not surprisingly, in few months the place resembled a complete waste dump yard.
Patricia Pinto is well aware of the problem and wants to have dust bins installed out side the GMC which is a designated bus stand.
A volunteer Captain Joe Lobo feels a greater part of the problem will be solved if only panchayats start collecting garbage on regular basis and have system in place for garbage treatment.
Meanwhile, all plastic collected through these drives will be picked up by a contractor appointed by the department of panchayat to be send for treatment in Gujarat.
MARGAO: As part of Chaka Chak drive, NSS students of Damodar college, Margao conducted a plastic and waste collection drive at Pedda-Benaulim on Republic Day.
At the end of the day, the students collected tons of waste dumped along the roadside from the Khareband bridge to Pedda-Benaulim.
PONDA: Students from Ponda cleared roadside plastic along the NH-4 from Farmagudi to Ponda bus stand. The drive was also undertaken with the help of Nirmal Vishwa, Ponda, which later took up roadside plastic clearance from NH-17 from GVM’s College upto the Borim Bridge.
Bandora Panchayat in association with Nirmal Vishwa, Ponda, conducted plastic collection drive involving students as well as locals.
Villagers in Bandora Panchayat also took up cleaning of plastic on the internal roads. Bags containing waste plastic collected during the drive were then taken by Nirmal Vishwa for recycling.
TIVIM: Nearly 150 NSS students helped in cleaning the entire Tivim railway platform and the track under the supervision of railway authorities.
Students collected plastics littered at the Tivim Railway station and the main road and over 35 bags of plastic were collected and later sent to a private contractor for recycling.