TEAM HERALD
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MARGAO: He came, he saw and has sought 45 days time to work out a solution to the waste and garbage dumping in Seraulim by two garbage handlers.
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar accompanied by Benaulim MLA Caitu Silva descended on Seraulim village on Thursday noon to get first-hand information about the garbage and waste handling by two contractors ~ an activity that has come under stiff opposition from the local villagers. In fact, a large number of villagers assembled near the waste dumping site with banners and placards expressing their opposition to the activity after news spread that the Chief Minister is inspecting the site today.
After inspecting the two dumps, Parrikar said he has seen the ground reality and would work out a solution to the issue within 45 days. “If I order closure of the two sites immediately without making alternate arrangements, the waste will spill over to the entire village and in the fields. That’s why I have sought 45 days time so that the handlers can take the waste at the right place for segregation and treatment,” he said, while issuing instructions to the Health Department to carry out fogging and anti-larvae measures in the vicinity of the two sites.
Local resident Domingos Fernandes thanked the Chief Minister for his assurance to close down the two sites within 45 days. “We had been knocking the doors of various authorities since the last half a decade, but in vain. Three persons have died of malaria and many others affected by the vector-borne diseases in the village,” he said.
Activist Rodney Almeida said the villagers are satisfied with the assurance given by the CM, saying he has offered a practical solution to the problem. “Parikar has seen for himself the menace caused by the waste. The fact that large number of villagers assembled at the site is testimony that the residents are opposed to the waste dumps,” he added.
