CM assures to chair HPC meeting before Feb 10 to resolve Sonsoddo issues

Team Herald

PORVORIM: The House on Thursday witnessed a heated discussion on the State government’s future plans to handle and treat the Sonsoddo garbage dump, with both – the treasury and opposition benches – expressing concern on clearing the legacy waste.

Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant told the State Legislative Assembly that he would chair the High Powered Committee (HPC) meeting before February 10 to resolve the issue surrounding Sonsoddo garbage dump. Sawant assured to take the concerned MLAs – Digambar Kamat, Vijai Sardesai and Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco –into confidence before finalising the facility or plant to be set up to treat the waste. 

The Opposition cornered the government after Waste Management Minister Michael Lobo informed the House that Goa Waste 

Management Corporation (GWMC) has proposed to set up 75 tonnes per day of integrated waste management facility at Sonsoddo in line with the Saligao plant, instead of installation of proposed seven bio methanation plants of five tonnes, each. 

Lobo also said that the ongoing remediation of the Sonsoddo dump site will be completed by May 2021, excluding disposal of RDF, since the Karnataka based cement factory has restricted handling of RFD from Goa.

The issue was raised by Lourenco, who had sought to know from Lobo the fate of the garbage dump. He also sought to know by when the remediation process will be completed and whether the government intends to go ahead with installation of seven bio-methanation plants at the site. 

Responding to it, Lobo said that as per the initial survey conducted by GWMC, the legacy waste was estimated to be 2,31,239.76 cubic metres and 1,25,000 cubic metres of waste is being remediated till date.

The Minister said that the remediation works at the Sonsoddo Waste dumpsite commenced in December 2019 and till date about 1053.6 cubic metres of RDF was disposed. No RDF material was disposed from September 2020, owing to the monsoons, cement factories shutdown etc, he said.

“Also, the seven bio methanation plants won’t work and hence, we have proposed to set up 75 capacity facility similar to that of Saligao at Sonsoddo, within one years’ time,” he said. 

Goa Forward Party MLA Vijai Sardesai, intervening in the discussion, strongly objected to the idea of one plant, stating that the decision was taken without consulting the high powered committee members. He even pointed out that the Margao Municipal Council has already passed a resolution and approved Rs 47 crore from its funds, towards installation of seven plants. 

The MLA also brought to the notice of the House the internal conflict between the Ministers for Waste Management and Urban Development, which has delayed the progress of clearing the waste. (See related story on pg 2)

Leader of the Opposition Digambar Kamat too joined the fellow members in the demand and urged government to call for a meeting of the High Powered Committee at the earliest. 

Intervening in the discussion, the Chief Minister assured that the High Powered Committee headed by him will meet soon and decide on the matter. He also admitted in the House that despite the Chief Minister granting clearance to the file for setting up bio methanation plants, the file is held back by the Urban Development Minister. “Once the Chief Minister clears the file, it cannot be held back. I will call back the file from Directorate of Municipal Administration,” he said.