This is the letter sent by Citizen Prashant Maurya to the postmaster in 2012

January 2, 2012

The Postmaster

Margao Main Branch

Municipal Garden

Margao, Goa – 403601. 

Sub: BURNING OF WASTE PAPER AND OTHER 

GARBAGE NEXT TO THE POST OFFICE

Dear Sir,

This is a letter from a concerned citizen regarding a lot of paper and other waste being burnt at the post office premises, just next to the dustbin on the road side, where all the scooters are parked. 

I would like to kindly request you to stop burning waste paper and any other garbage immediately for following reasons and solutions mentioned after:

• First of all, the fumes and smoke are bad for human life and environment

• If plastic waste is mixed up, it turns too toxic and leads to cancer and other diseases slowly

• As it is windy during the day, burning papers can fly easily resulting in spread of fire and can cause the nearby vehicles to get burnt. It can lead to a chain reaction, if any vehicle bursts 

• The municipal dustbin (plastic made) lying hardly a metre or so, can catch fire very easily

• As the post office wall is hardly 5-6 metres from there, it is dangerous for the building too

• We have recently seen the large scale devastation at Zuari factory area, so we should already take precaution rather than take steps after some disaster has taken place

• Moreover, it is banned by law to burn garbage, just like spitting, littering, crossing the red light. 

We can imagine that since it is a public dustbin, the waste would also be from neighbourhood shops and individuals. 

Best solution could be to store all the papers at the post office somewhere and sell them at once, which will get some small revenue, besides the paper will go to good use by recycling. The cost to create paper by recycling is far cheaper than to cut new trees and make. If you feel there are some confidential (waste) documents, you could tear them and then sell.

And it is definitely no solution if we say, “What happens if only I stop burning!” I think that is the only solution that I stop first and let others follow! Yes even municipal burns its garbage and so do lots of individuals. I also wrote to the MMC chairman earlier pointing it out and shall keep reminding them.

If that empty space indeed belongs to the post office, it could be nicely turned into green patch with flowers, etc. It would really add to the beauty of the area, especially after the office has been renovated.

Thanks for taking up this small but great initiatives thus setting a wonderful example! Look forward in anticipation.

Yours sincerely,

Prashant Maurya