11 months ago, he said river Sal would get a kiss of life and in his budget speech promised to spruce up stinking SGPDA fish market
TEAM HERALD
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MARGAO: Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar was visibly moved by the plight and degradation of River Sal when he inspected the river on March 29 last year during his visit to Navelim.
So moved he was that he promised “mission clean-up” of the river once considered the lifeline of Salcete. Exactly 11 months down the line, Parrikar’s mission clean-up is yet to take off, with stink and contamination of the river being literally the order of the day.
When the Chief Minister was once reminded by the media of the fate of Mission River Sal clean-up, Parrikar had sought for time to address issues plaguing it in a comprehensive manner. It’s exactly 11 months now and there’s no sign of any action plan in place to tackle the stink and pollution. Goa State Pollution Control Board’s request to conduct a detailed study of the level of contamination of the river has been cold shouldered by the Central Pollution Control Board.
That’s not all. Given that a detailed study conducted by Prof Mutnuri of BITS Pilani, Goa, had attributed the river contamination to rampant disposal of sewage water from Margao, there’s no comprehensive plan in place to connect entire Margao city to a sewerage network till date.
After inspection of the Margao sewerage treatment plant last year, the Chief Minister had announced to take up work on the river clean up on a priority basis.
Then Chairman of Goa State Pollution Control Board Dr Simon D’Souza had told Herald last year that the river needs to be inspected all along its course before suggesting remedial measures. Simon’s successor and incumbent GSPCB Chairman Jose Manuel Norohna, however, said that the Board has knocked on the doors of a Japanese agency to help conduct a detailed study of the contaminated river and help reduce the pollution.
Says Norohna: “The Japanese agency will conduct a study and suggest remedial measures. The project will take off in May only if the Japanese government gives its nod.”
The GSPCB Chairman admitted that monitoring of the river by the Pollution Board at Mobor and Panzorconne showed high “total dissolved solids” as compared to other rivers across the state. This goes to show that waste finds its way in the river, leaving it polluted.”
Replying to a question, Noronha said the Japanese delegation had called on Parrikar, but asserted that the agency will take a call on the GSPCB’s request only if the Japanese government gives them the green signal.
TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: When Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar announced in his budget speech plans to spruce up Goa’s lone wholesale fish market located at Margao, hopes were raised that the pathetic condition of the market will finally see a turnaround.
The Chief Minister is bracing up to present his second budget, but there’s absolutely no improvement in the condition of the SGPDA-owned wholesale fish market, with the conditions turning from bad to worse with each passing day.
Says a leading wholesale fish merchant, M Ibrahim: “When we inquired with the government over the CM’s financial package for the wholesale fish market we were told that the government would spend Rs 3 crore on the market up-gradation. But a delegation of fish merchants pleaded with the CM to double the grant to Rs 6 crore given the bad condition of the market. We were happy that the CM had agreed to our request, but nothing has changed on the ground till date.”
What’s interesting to note is when Herald called up the Chief Town Planner S T Puttaraju to throw light on the government’s plan for SGPDA’s wholesale fish market, he shot back saying that no proposal for up-gradation and addition of new facilities in the market had come from the South Goa Planning and Development Authority.
“How can you expect the government to sanction funds sans any proposal? My office did not receive any proposal from the SGPDA for a facelift for the wholesale fish market. Before expecting the government to give the grant, the PDA ought to have submitted the plan along with the estimates for consideration,” Puttaraju added.
Incidentally, when contacted, SGPDA member secretary Rajesh Naik said the PDA had received nothing from the government requesting the Authority to prepare a plan and the estimates for the market up-gradation.
Ibrahim said it is high time the government takes up work on the wholesale fish market and the PDA retail market and promised to pursue the long-pending demand with the CM for redressal.
