VASCO: Deputy Chief Minister Francis D’ Souza on Saturday claimed that scrap yards plays very important role in keeping the society clean still instead of supporting scarp yards people have been unnecessarily opposing scrap yards which, he said, is wrong.
He was speaking after laying foundation stone for scientific disposal of solid waste dump, bioremediation/biomining of old solid waste dump at Mormugao municipality-owned garbage treatment plant at Headland Sada.
Power Minister Milind Naik, Vasco MLA Carlos Almeida, MMC Chief Officer Deepali Naik, MMC councillors and others were present for the function.
“Garbage is a very important issue that we have to deal with every day. I feel that scrap dealers performs an important role in keeping the society clean than any others, still many people opposes scrap yard and demand their removal, which is wrong. They take all our thrash including, papers, plastics, glass etc, and I feel that we need to support the scrap yards as without them we would not achieve Swatch Bharat Mission,” he said.
He said, “Swatch Bharat does not mean collecting paper and plastics. The main motto of Swatch Bharat is also to have our underground water clean, eradicating open defecation, the air that we breathe should be clean and only then we would achieve our mission of Swatch Bharat and by doing all this we need everyone to contribute for the same.”
Power Minister Milind Naik acknowledged that while taking up projects in Mormugao, he did not give importance to upgrading or modernising garbage treatment plant at Headland Sada. However, he said, after the solid waste dump at Sada is cleared, he would put in all efforts to modernize the Sada plant. He also assured to beautify the area surrounding, later.
“Though I started up late to solve the issue of Sada treatment plant, the work to clear existing garbage dump has begun and once this works gets completed, we will construct international standard plant at Sada and the area besides the plant which has scenic beauty will also be beautified,” he said.
MLA Carlos Almeida claimed that he along with MMC would ensure that MMC would retain its first ranking (under Goa Governor Swatch Bharat award) in maintaining cleanliness in port town even in the future. He said that whole lots of efforts have already been put in to maintain cleanliness in Vasco and with the same zeal Vasco would leave other municipalities behind in cleanliness.
Meanwhile, the much awaited work of clearing old solid waste dump at Sada plant began on Saturday and all the existing waste would be removed within a year by the contractor appointed by the government.
