PONDA: The State government has assured various village panchayats that the Comunidade Act would be amended in order to provide them with land to set up Material Recovery Facility (MRF) sheds and garbage treatment plants, to help them comply with the High Court’s MRF mandate, and to manage their waste in a responsible manner.
Voicing their grievances at the government programme ‘Prashashan Tumchya Dari’ (administration at your doorstep) held at the Ponda Administrative Building on Friday, the Sarpanchas and panch members from several villages described the struggle they go through, to identify suitable land for the MRF. They said they are facing problems getting permissions and No-Objection Certificates to set up garbage treatment plants and collection sheds in private and comunidade-owned land, despite the High Court ordering that every panchayat in the State should set up such a facility. In several villages, the panchas have been fined for not setting
up their MRF sheds
within the High Court’s stipulated deadline.
PMC Chairperson Ritesh Naik as well as Sarpanchas and panchas of villages in Ponda taluka, namely Wadi-Talaulim, Kavlem , Durbhat, Bandora ,Marcaim and Bethki Khandola said they have been trying to find land for the purpose for the past decade, and on Friday, urged Revenue Minister Atanasio Monserrate to solve their issue.
Bandora Sarpanch Sukanand Kurpaskar said his panchayat needs 10,000 square metres of land for a garbage disposal plant, and Dilesh Gaonkar, former Sarpanch of Wadi-Talaulim said they need at least 2,000 square metres for waste management.
“The government has already initiated the process to amend the Comunidade Act and will work with
Comunidade bodies to
procure land for garbage disposal and MRF,” Monserrate assured the panch members.
