Team Herald

MARGAO: The Arlem-Nuvem Eastern Bypass has turned into a dumping ground for chicken and food waste, resulting in the destruction of the agricultural fields on either side.

The overwhelming odour of decomposition hangs in the air, despite the presence of a Segregated Waste Collection and Transfer Station on the same stretch. The Goa Solid Waste Management Corporation (GSWM) claimed that one of the reasons for the nuisance is a failure on the part of the concerned panchayat body. Presently, 80 percent of the bypass stretch has turned into a dumping ground and locals claimed that the culprits were mostly the

chicken vendors and butchers from in and around the area.

Pedro Colaco, a farmer, said that he was witnessing the dumping of chicken waste on the stretch for the past

few months.

“It has become very difficult for several farmers engaged in cultivation to enter into the fields. This rotten animal waste has now started to flow into our fields due to the rains.” he complained.

Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco told Herald that he had written letters to all the panchayats of his constituency, including the Raia panchayat, to take some initiatives in resolving the issue.

“Earlier, many used to dump waste, mostly butchered chicken waste along the Sonsoddo road leading towards Raia and Curtorim, and now this nuisance can be witnessed on the Arlem-Nuvem Bypass, on a larger scale,” he said, adding that he had directed the panchayats to get reports from chicken vendors on the disposal of their waste, so that they can be held responsible for the same. Reginaldo vowed to find a solution to stop the dumping, besides laying traps to catch the culprits.

“Yes, we have our segregated waste collection and transfer station on the stretch of the Arlem-Nuvem Bypass, but it is mostly for dry waste. The nuisance on this stretch is because the concerned panchayat is not doing their work properly,” said Lavinson Martins, Managing Director, GSWM, when contacted.