MARGAO: The Margao Municipal Council seems to have found a convenient way to dispose off roadside waste, including plastic and other non-conforming waste.
In fact, it’s not uncommon to find municipal workers disposing off plastic and other waste across the town – despite the city having own waste dumping facility at Sonsodo. While the City Fathers have not stopped complaining against waste burning in the city, citizens have joined the chorus in crying foul over the violation of the health safety norms by the civic body with impunity.
Says Social activist Zarinha Da Cunha: “Is the municipality not aware that burning plastic poses a health hazard. Why are they so blind to the issue? Why can’t they collect and lift the waste to some other place?” she questioned, while terming the action as criminal negligence on the part of the civic body.
Member Secretary of the Goa State Pollution Control Board, Levinson Martins said that burning plastic and other waste poses a health risk to the citizens. “The municipality is not supposed to burn the plastic waste. Rules mandate that the civic body collect the waste and carry out pre-sorting at the dumping site. The civic body cannot escape the responsibility in handling plastic waste as per rules,” he said.
Sources in the know said plastic and other waste burning is not uncommon around government quarters in the city despite host of complaints.
When the matter was brought to the notice of the Sanitary Inspector Viraj Arabekar, he admitted that certain workers resort to waste burning in the city. “My office will ask the supervisor to keep a close watch on the workers. They are only supposed to collect the waste and dump the same in the municipal bins,” he said.
Thursday saw smoke billowing from the land acquired for the proposed non-conventional energy park after the civic body cleared the waste, including plastic waste, to prepare the ground to accommodate the fair.
