CS B Vijayan says around 15 p’yat bodies and three municipal councils have participated in the exercise
TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: Chief Secretary B Vijayan on Thursday said the government has started lifting dry and plastic waste from the jurisdiction of 15 panchayat bodies and three municipal councils in the state.
Speaking to Herald on the sidelines of the concluding function of SARAS at the SGPDA grounds on Thursday evening, the Chief Secretary said the remaining panchayat and civic bodies should join hands in the exercise by collecting dry waste and store the same at a common point in their jurisdiction.
“We have started the exercise from February 1 as announced earlier. So far, around 15 panchayat bodies and three municipal councils have participated in the exercise. Our contractors are visiting these areas to lift the plastic waste as part of the program”, he said.
Replying to a question, Vijayan made a fervent plea to the remaining panchayat bodies to join their counterparts as part of the efforts to curb plastic menace in the state. “What we have asked villages and municipal bodies is to only collect and store the plastic waste at one point in their jurisdiction. We will lift the waste periodically and take it to the bailing stations set up in both the districts”, he said.
Meanwhile, sources in the know said that the Department of Science and Technology has added one more bailing machine at its Cacora unit to take care of the plastic waste coming in from South Goa district. Director of Science and Technology Levinson Martins exuded confidence that more and more panchayat bodies would join the exercise in the days ahead.
“After this exercise commenced from February 1, we have started sending three truck loads of plastic a week to the cement companies in Karnataka. I am sure the situation would improve in the coming days”, he added.
