TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar who had recently said that much is still needed to be done as far as cleaning highways from the menace of garbage, he was certainly right in his observations.
In fact, while much is still required to be done as far as clearing national and district highways from waste strewn by the roadside, a new problem seems to be cropping up at the collection enclosures set up by the GSIDC and PWD in a joint exercise to rid the State of street waste.
The highway collection enclosures seem to be turning into highway eyesores and it now appears that people have started disposing off their garbage bags all around the collection enclosures.
According to officials of the GSIDC, the collection enclosures were meant to stack waste collected along the roadsides which are thereafter picked up by designated contractors once a week or fortnight.
The collection enclosures, particularly along the National Highway 17 have now started turning into dumping sites resulting in waste strewn all around, in many cases raising a stench and attracting stray cattle thereby posing a further nuisance for vehicular movement.
When Herald travelled along many of the routes where the enclosures have been placed, many of the locations appeared to be like the regular solid waste bins with waste (both bio-degradable and non bio-degradable waste) simply dumped all around.
The enclosures at Nuvem, Verna and Bambolim were in a terrible state and stray cattle were seen thronging to the enclosures.
When contacted the Managing Director of the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation said, “It is true that there is a new problem arising,” but added that the street waste collectors are left with no options but to segregate waste dumped outside the enclosures and stack them inside the enclosures until the weekly collection takes places.
This is the new routine day in and out, raising eyebrows on whether the exercise of roadside waste collection is a boon or bane.
