Team Herald
MARGAO: Frustrations are mounting among Margao residents over the Margao Municipal Council’s (MMC) renewed plans for a gasification technology waste treatment plant at the troubled Sonsodo site. Critics see this as yet another misguided attempt in the city’s long history of failed waste management experiments.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
Despite decades of pledges, waste management at Sonsodo has remained a festering issue, leading to multiple abandoned projects and soaring public dissatisfaction. Now, authorities have floated yet another plan — a 10 TPD (tonnes per day) gasification plant, developed by a Pune-based company.
While the Goa Energy Development Agency (GEDA) readies a fresh tender for the initiative, scepticism abounds. Margao MLA Digambar Kamat recently revealed plans to reissue tenders, signalling political intent to prioritise the project. However, citizens and activists remain unconvinced.
“What Margao needs is a sustainable solution, not another doomed experiment,” said Peter Fernandes, a Fatorda resident, who questioned whether authorities are merely wasting public funds. “After decades of mismanagement, there’s little faith left in these so-called innovations.”
Residents pointed out that past attempts — including bioreactors and composting units — have all failed to resolve the crisis, leaving a legacy of mounting waste, unfulfilled promises, and public funds squandered.
GEDA clarified that the gasification plant aims to tackle mixed and unsegregated waste — still rampant in Margao’s streets and “black spots.” However, they confirmed that wet waste would either continue being transported to the Cacora plant or require a new common waste facility for Salcete.
For many, this fragmented approach raises alarms. “It feels like Sonsoddo is just an experiment ground for flawed technologies,” lamented Paresh Naik, another local.
GEDA officials, however, insist that the gasification plant’s Rs 6–7 crore budget will be fully funded by MMC using Finance Commission allocations. The tender includes not just the plant’s construction, but a five-year maintenance contract — promising more accountability, officials said.
Amid mounting criticism, residents demand clarity and decisive action from Margao leaders. “Authorities need to stop throwing money at unproven technologies without first fixing fundamental gaps in waste segregation, disposal, and enforcement,” said a homemaker from the town.
