Team Herald
MARGAO: In response to the Margao Municipal Council’s repeated attempts to establish a plant for treating mixed waste, more citizens have voiced their frustration, questioning whether the BJP government and its political leaders are genuinely committed to resolving the long-standing Sonsodo issue and improving waste management.
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They expressed their doubts, asking whether the government is more interested in continuing to exploit the waste issue for personal gain, like “breeding this big fat hen that gives them golden eggs.”
Savio Coutinho, former Chairperson and Congress leader of Margao, criticised the ongoing experiments being funded by the public exchequer, which he claimed are draining crores of rupees with little to no positive results.
“One after another, these experiments are being thrust upon the public, but we are hardly seeing any tangible outcomes,” said Coutinho.
He further highlighted the numerous study tours conducted across the country, intended to explore waste management strategies, yet despite the extensive research, the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) has still failed to address the fundamental issue of waste management in the city.
“The MMC is yet to even clear the ‘paper’ on waste management in Margao,” he remarked.
Coutinho also accused the government of misleading the Hon’ble High Court by submitting false information in order to gain approvals for tenders worth crores of rupees, which, upon completion, are often left unused. “These dubious tenders are never fully utilized,” he alleged.
The former Chairperson also criticized the illegal or outdated High Powered Coordination Committee (HPCC) under the Chief Minister of Goa, which he claims continues to direct these projects, even though it has no legal standing after the exit of Fomento from Sonsodo.
“This committee was specifically formed to set up and monitor the Fomento Plant. Once Fomento exited, this committee had no legal standing, but it still drains public funds,” Coutinho asserted.
