PORVORIM: The State government has decided to amend the Goa Panchayati Raj Act in a bid to include garbage management as a mandatory duty of the village panchayat.
Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho on Wednesday told the House that the government has withdrawn the circular temporarily restricting issue of construction licenses and occupancy certificates on village panchayats in case of multi-dwelling residential projects with more than four dwelling units and commercial projects of 200 sq mts or above, until the local bodies comply with waste management rules.
“The circular was misunderstood by the panchayats and the local MLAs triggered it further. The circular was not aimed at withdrawing any powers of the local bodies but it was just temporary restrictions,” he said, responding to a volley of questions from the Opposition benches.
Godinho said the government has now decided to amend the Panchayati Raj Act to include garbage management as a mandatory duty.
The statement came after MGP MLA Ramakrishna (Sudin) Dhavalikar questioned whether the Panchayat Department has the powers under Waste Management Rules to issue any such circular. He said the government has formed an independent Garbage Management Department to deal with the issue.
The minister said that as the present quantum of garbage generated by villages is unmanageable, due to lack of necessary infrastructure, resulting in severe environmental damage, the government felt that issue of new construction licenses and occupancy certificates to large projects will aggravate the problem of garbage generation and its proper disposal in terms of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) directions, thus leading to grave consequences.
Further, Godinho said that a new circular has been issued directing the panchayat secretary to oblige with orders and directions of the director and deputy directors on illegal constructions, failing which the secretary would be held accountable.
He was responding to a question posed by Independent MLA Rohan Khaunte, who sought to know the steps the government intends to take in case of illegal constructions mushrooming in the villages with blessings of local bodies.
The minister said that 95 per cent of gaddas, which are taken by locals, are sublet to non-Goans or goons, where illegal activities like sale and consumption of drugs take place.
