Team Herald
PANJIM: A garbage treatment plant cannot be funded through the Smart City funds but some smart component of solid waste management will be added to the plan, Corporation City of Panaji (CCP) Commissioner Sanjit Rodrigues said at an open forum on Smart City planning meeting on Friday, that was attended by few residents of the capital city.
He said there may be an app launched for the convenience of Panjim residents so that they can get information about garbage collection, and even trace the garbage collector and supervisor on the mobile app.
Speaking further he said that the garbage treatment plant can be completed by utilizing other funds. Municipal Engineer Sachin Ambe, one of the panelists, said Panjim is unable to handle garbage mainly due to the absence of a dedicated facility of collection, segregation and processing. He hinted that the rising floating population could be a reason for the large quantity of garbage.
The forum was organized to discuss the issue of heritage, transport and waste management. Panjim MLA Siddharth Kunkolinekar who was present at the workshop said Panjim should not copy some other model and that development should be planned considering the city’s identity.
Most of the panelists suggested public transport and using waterways for transportation to reduce congestion.
“We can have a number of jetties with good planning till Miramar circle so that waterways, which are one of the best modes of transport, can be adopted here. This system will help in de-congesting the city” Arminio Ribeiro said.
Talking about heritage conservation, a member of the Heritage Action Group suggested that a heritage cluster be incorporated in the plan. The major problem in heritage conservation areas was due to increasing height of roads that led to rain water entering into houses.
A fresh survey found that out of 996 heritage buildings in Panjim, almost 900 buildings still exist.
Panjim has 8.21 square kilometers of areas whereas the planning for the Smart City will include areas like Ribandar, Bhatlem, Dona Paula and not just the city area.
