MARGAO: Margao Municipal Council (MMC) on Monday had to yet again helplessly deposit mixed waste at the Sonsoddo dump as Fomento wouldn’t let it inside the plant. Plant officials accepted nearly five tonnes of wet waste, which they found suitable for treatment. Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco expressed utter displeasure over the dumping of fresh waste at the dump.
Successive attempts by MMC to convince the people to provide segregated garbage have fallen flat. MMC could manage to bring in just five tonnes of wet waste to the plant. As most of the garbage was mixed with plastics and dry waste components, MMC resorted to dumping garbage in the old dump.
This invited the attention of Lourenco who said, “We are already hurt, don’t rub salt on our wounds. I want to tell Vijai Sardesai to come back to reality and see how garbage is directly coming to Sonsoddo and is directly dumped into the old dump.”
He said that the smell and the outcome of the Sonsodo are going out of hand. “I have supported him (Vijai) in all his plans as a collective responsibility. For the last three years, nothing has been done at the plant,”Lourenco said.
Fomento Green official Sudin Pai Raiturkar said, “We have already informed that we won’t take mixed waste here on.” He said that 2.5 tonnes of wet waste came to the plant and underlined the fact that he has no binding on the where the mixed waste is being dumped.
MMC Acting Chairperson, however, claimed they have given 10 tonnes of wet waste to the plant. Fomento, however, said MMC has sent not more than 5 tonnes of wet waste.
The Curtorim MLA, standing at Sonsoddo also intercepted a garbage truck that had come from Gandhi Market and inquired regarding the nature of the waste. It was observed that the vegetable waste was mixed with plastic and glass as well.
MMC Chief Officer Siddhivinayak Naik, commenting on all that transpired during the day, said, “We have started sending wet waste to the plant now. To further improve the system we are going to soon induct at least 20 workers and 10 drivers for which interviews have been taken.”
He added, “We need the support and cooperation of the people to achieve segregation and solution to the perennial problem.”
