Team Herald
PERNEM: It’s been years since its inauguration, but Pernem Municipal Council’s (PMC) garbage treatment plant situated on Pernem Plateau is yet to be made operational.
For the reasons best known to the MLAs and concerned local bodies, the plant has been abandoned for many years. The authorities concerned have wasted taxpayer’s money in the name of development to lay several foundation stones and inaugurate the plant.
It may be recalled that after inaugurating the waste treatment plant in 2013, the then Urban Development Minister (late) Francis D’Souza had laid the foundation stone for a new project to treat plastic waste and convert it into fuel at the same site.
The first project of waste treatment plant never got going and to make matters worse the second project – the plant to treat plastic waste and convert into fuel too has never functioned. Both these projects have turned into “white elephant” for the people. The unused heavy machinery at the site has corroded and the PMC is in need of funds to repair it.
The panchayat disposes of their garbage at Saligao plant. However, PMC dumps around 500 kg of daily collected garbage at this plant site and around 800 kg of garbage on its weekly market day.
Most of the garbage is collected from Morjim, Arambol and Mandrem. However, this number doubles up during the tourism season. Few panchayats have awarded contracts for collecting garbage while some have appointed staff to handle garbage.
With the garbage menace increasing day by day, the need to make this plant operational is felt.
Dhargal, Virnoda and Torxem too are faced with the garbage menace. It is learnt that around 5,500 kg of wet garbage and 3,088 kg of dry garbage is collected regularly by all 20 panchayats of the taluka but instead of disposing it at the plant, the collected garbage is sent to the Saligao plant for treatment.
