Team Herald
MARGAO: With Fomento sticking to its stand to allow only fresh garbage (segregated) into the Sonsoddo plant, the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) on Wednesday removed the existing waste and dumped it at the old site.
The civic body has managed to remove at least 300 tonnes of waste from the plant and now nearly 600 tonnes has to be removed.
The MMC informed that the garbage at the dump will be covered with mud.
Fomento official Sudin Pai Raiturkar said, “We won’t accept fresh waste until the existing garbage is removed. 600 tonnes of waste still remains inside the plant till date.”
Meanwhile, with the MMC removing garbage from the plant, another 200 tonnes has been generated in the town which is yet to be picked. The garbage lying at various locations has started to stink with the locals raising their concerns over the same.
Councillor Damu Naik said the civic body has collected an advance fee from people to collect garbage and there is anger amongst the people over the deteriorating garbage situation.
Meanwhile, as the MMC battles with the garbage problem, chairperson Babita Angle on Wednesday left for a tour to the US only to return after a fortnight.
Meanwhile, she has given charge to the vice-chairperson Tito Cardozo, who will now be the acting chairperson. Babita informed that she has already spoken to all councillors regarding her tour and added that she is feeling bad to leave the town at this juncture. Angle informed that she couldn’t avoid this tour as she had planned the tour three months in advance.
It is pertinent to note that the town’s garbage removal system has gone for a toss due to the ongoing battle between the MMC and Fomento as the garbage in Margao, Fatorda and the two wards of Curtorim has remained uncollected.
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Pvt firm won’t be allowed to hold State to ransom: Minister
PANJIM: Urban Development Minister Milind Naik stated that the private company will not be allowed to hold the State to ransom on the Sonsoddo issue and a solution will be reached soon.
Naik said, “I have attended a meeting alongwith the company representatives and Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister. Deputy Chief Minister Vijai Sardesai in whose constituency the Sonsoddo area falls is constantly monitoring the situation and is in touch with the company and the department as well.”
He said that the Chief Minister and the government are serious on resolving the issue at the earliest.
Responding to a question about the garbage issue in urban areas, he said, “We were talking about Sonsoddo for all these years and in the meanwhile there are those areas, which will become trouble areas for us due to garbage. Hence, the Chief Minister has directed all the MLAs to take the issue seriously and in the coming years we will have a robust plan for garbage issue.”
