MARGAO: Garbage dumps at the borders of Margao Municipal Council jurisdiction are mushrooming up in a big way, as the citizens have lost social consciousness with regard to cleanliness.
The Margao Municipal Council is fighting tooth and nail to tackle the problem.
It has been witnessed that the residents along with business outlets dump their waste in huge bags consisting of chicken waste, dead animals, rotten vegetables, plastic bags, etc which becomes a health hazard for the residents. Areas such as Rawanfond Bridge on the eastern bypass road, Arlem to Gogal road-side, borders of Madel near the wholesale fish market, few areas at Navelim and Khareband direction have resulted in mini-garbage dumps sites.
It may be recalled that a few years back when Dr Babita Prabhudesai was the MMC Chairperson, she had alleged that around half of the panchayats in Salcete Taluka are dumping their waste in the jurisdiction of the MMC, thereby hampering its garbage management system.
She was on the record that around 12 to 15 tonnes of waste from other areas is dumped in the border areas of Margao.
Again such type of activities of dumping the waste by the road-side is on the rise. As informed by the citizens one can even find waste covered in plastic bags by the roadside near the Sonsoddo garbage dump yard.
A resident of Malbhatt, Alex Fernandes said that it is unfortunate that citizens still lack the civic sense; as a result, they just dump the waste by the roadside.
“What is surprising that there is no check on such type of activities in Margao. Many hoteliers too are engaged in dumping their waste by the roadside. One can witness the mini-dumping yards at all the borders of Margao,” he stated.
When contacted, newly elected Chairperson of MMC Lyndon Monteiro said that the council will look into the issue and take steps to stop dumping by the roadside immediately.
“We will try to clean the garbage, however people should not engage themselves in such type of activities,” Monteiro stated.
The Chairperson also assured that the MMC will find out some solution to this problem very soon.
