In a tit-for-tat response, villagers stop flow of Margao sewage
TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: Agitated over the Margao Municipal Council’s decision not to accept Navelim garbage at Sonsodo, irate Navelim villagers led by Fisheries Minister, Avertano Furtado Thursday morning stopped the flow of Margao sewage into the treatment plant, triggering a crisis for the PWD officials.
Intervention of Chief Minister, Manohar Parrikar, however, helped to diffuse the situation for the day after Parrikar spoke to Avertano, promising to work out a solution to the garbage/sewage problem during his visit to Margao on Tuesday. Following the development, the PWD officials resumed work at the plant at around 6 pm.
District Collector, ND Agrawal along with a posse of police officers headed by Margao PI Sudesh Naik also made their presence felt at the Sirvodem sewage treatment plant at around 6 pm as a precautionary measure.
PWD engineers told the district Collector that Navelim villagers along with the Fisheries Minister came to the plant at 11 am and demanded a stop to the plant operation. The villagers were protesting in retaliation over the MMC decision not to accept garbage from Navelim constituency at the Sonsodo waste treatment plant.
In the meantime, the PWD officials brought the emerging situation to the notice of senior PWD and sewerage officials, fearing that any delay in resuming the operation might lead to overflowing of sewage on the roads and fields.
With no solution forthcoming, PWD Minister Sudin Dhavlikar called up the Navelim MLA and told him not to take any hasty decision on the issue. Avertano is believed to have told the PWD Minister that the action has been taken by the Navelim villagers in protest against the MMC decision not to accept Navelim garbage at Sonsodo.
It was only after the Chief Minister intervened that sewage started flowing into the STP this evening after he promised a solution by Tuesday during his visit to Margao.
Avertano told Herald that Navelim villagers are agitated that their garbage is not accepted at Sonsodo, while they are forced to suffer stink and bad odour from the Sirvodem sewage plant located in the village.
A villager George Barretto said Navelim villagers will wait till Tuesday for the Chief Minister to work out a solution. “Navelim villagers have been accepting Margao sewage at the STP over the years despite the stink emanating from the plant,” he said, and demanded that the Margao civic body reciprocate by accepting Navelim garbage at the Sonsodo plant.
Land fill site not yet ready: Arthur
MARGAO: Margao Municipal Chairperson Arthur D’Silva on Thursday said that the Civic body has not refused to accept garbage from Navelim, but has taken a decision that outside waste cannot find its way at Sonsodo till a fool proof waste collection and disposal system is put in place in the city.
“We are not opposed to accepting waste from Navelim or any other constituency. But, we have to first put our house in order. The land fill site is not yet ready, capping has not taken place so far. Door-to-door waste collection has also not started. Moreover, the capacity of the Sonsodo plant is only 50 tons per day. We cannot accept outside waste till the plant meets our requirements,” he added.
Besides, he said the Civic body has signed a Concession agreement with Fomento Green that waste from outside the city jurisdiction will not be accepted at Sonsodo.
