Since the panchayat was not collecting garbage, the residents drafted a garbage management plan, which proposed that the unused panchayat garage could be used as a dry-waste collection site. The plan was then submitted to the panchayat.
Aldona MLA Glenn Ticlo supported the initiative and helped the residents organize an awareness programme in the panchayat. The garbage plan was approved at the next gram sabha meeting, and the garbage management committee was formed with seven panchayat members and eight locals. Fr Dominic D’Cruz was requested to be the convenor to plan and coordinate the garbage management efforts.
The door-to-door collection of dry waste commenced in May 2014 and was held twice a month. The collection and lifting of dry-waste from the garage by Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB)/Dry Cell went smoothly for three months. In August, the panchayat suddenly decided to hold garbage-related meetings every three months instead of monthly, as agreed earlier.
Meanwhile, the panchayat received a complaint from seven locals who stayed in the garage’s vicinity. The seven demanded that the dry waste be dumped elsewhere. After receiving the complaint, the sarpanch unilaterally suspended the door-to-door collection without involving the committee. The locals were unhappy with the panchayat’s move.
“Door-to-door collection is an ideal solution. The birds and animals are scattering waste all over the road. This can be a breeding ground for many diseases during the rains,” said Jaiwant Mavlanker.
When speaking to HERALD, the garbage management committee’s convener Fr D’Cruz stated that he tried to convince the panchayat to have monthly meetings, but it was in vain. He appealed to the sarpanch for a garbage committee meeting to discuss the complainants’ problems. He also informed the local MLA and tried to get a meeting with him, but he was unsuccessful. Hence, he wrote a letter to GSPCB.
GSPCB officials called on the panchayat in the third week of May 2015 and discussed the issue of collection of segregated dry waste. Fr D’Cruz received a letter dated May 28, 2015 from GSPCB confirming that the issue had been sorted out, and that panchayat had agreed to collect garbage twice a month.
When contacted, the Nachinola sarpanch Laxman Kerkar confirmed that the panchayat would collect dry waste on door-to-door basis every second Saturday and Sunday of the month. He said, “The panchayat had stopped collection earlier because people started dumping dry waste in front of the panchayat garage, which the residents in the vicinity objected to. The panchayat had demanded land from Nachinola communidade for treating both wet and dry waste, but the request did not merit the comunidade’s consideration”.
