MMC to decide on capping of Sonsodo waste dump

TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com

MARGAO: The Margao Municipal Council on Monday will take a call on the capping of the Sonsodo waste dumping with, with the consultant mooting construction of a vertical garden and utilizing the sloped surface of the capped site for solar panel for tapping solar energy.
The special meeting of the Civic body would also take a decision on the contentious issues of appointing Ahmedabad-based waste management consultant P U Asnani to certify bills raised by Fomento Green.
The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the capping of the Sonsodo site submitted by Kerala-based K R Gopalkrishnan has put the estimated cost of the capping project to Rs 7.71 crore, with the consultant saying that capping of the site will substantially mitigate the adverse environmental issues.
Gopalkrishnan has suggested constructing a vertical garden along the retaining wall. The report says the land fill slope can serve as a secure and clear surface for the solar panel. “The power produced may be utilized locally or connected to grid by exploring public private partnership. Conversion of the area into an attractive location with vertical garden and facility for tapping solar energy could be innovative use of the closed landfill”, the report said, but left it for the decision of the Council whether to accept or reject the solar energy project.

Little headway on outsourcing
of waste collection

MARGAO: Even as the Margao City Fathers are meeting on Monday to decide on two crucial questions vis-à-vis solid waste management, there seems little headway on resolutions adopted by the Civic body to outsource door-to-door waste collection.
The Council had in the recent past resolved to conduct a survey and collect door-to-door waste from the western side of the city on an experimental basis. It is learnt that the Civic body had agreed to make available vehicles and manpower to carrying out the work of survey.
Sources in the know, however, said there’s no change in the ground reality till date, with neither the door-to-door concept nor the survey taking off till date.
Again on the appointment of Ahmedabad-based P U Asnani as the consultant to certify and clear bills raised by Fomento Green, the Council had in the past resolved to scrap the appointment of Asnani as consultant and instead resolved to constitute a panel of experts to clear the bills.
The same issue will now come before the Council meeting scheduled on Monday with the High Powered Committee headed by Chief Minister, Manohar Parrikar directing the Civic body to appoint Asnani as its consultant for one year. In fact, the Civic administration has attached a draft copy of the agreement for approval of the City Fathers at tomorrow’s meeting.