PONDA: The Ponda Municipal Council (PMC) on Friday adopted a resolution to install two bio-digester plants at its garbage treatment site, at Kerya-Khandepar.
The monthly meeting on Friday also adopted resolutions to lay hot-mix carpeting of the roads in the town in March. A third resolution was adopted to settle old rent disputes with the tenants of municipal shops and collect taxes regularly. Over 30 issues were discussed at the meeting.
Addressing the media after the meeting, Chairman Venktesh Naik said that Rs 4 crore has been sanctioned from local area development fund of MP Vinay Tendulkar to set up two bio-digester plants with a capacity of 5 tonne each.
“The paper works and other formalities have been completed for this project. Only the tendering process is pending and as per rule since the PMC is the beneficiary, it cannot tender the work. So, we have decided to ask Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA) to tender project of installing bio-digesters,” he said.
On the dispute with the tenants of municipal shops, Venktesh said that the Council has decided to settle the long pending rent dispute with 26 tenants operating at New Market Complex and 29 tenants at Indira Market and collect rent from them regularly.
Venktesh said that the municipality is not getting revenue from these tenants as they have disputed the old rent calculation and are not paying the same.
“But now, they have assured to cooperate and so we will ask for Directorate of Municipal Administration (DMA) permission to collect rent from them regularly till their old rent issue is set aside and sorted out by government,” he said.
He also informed that the municipality asked for installation of 10 bio-toilets in its jurisdiction. Of these, two would be installed in New Market Complex.
Stating that the soaking capacity of soil in the town is almost saturated due to which soak-pits are overflowing, he said that sewerage network is important for Ponda to solve this problem.
“Many roads have been dug up for STP work. We have done the review of sewerage work with sewerage officials and they had given the completion work report on various roads to PWD. Hot-mixing of these roads will be done between March and April. The government has already issued tender for road hot-mixing, however it is delayed as sewerage work is pending,” he said.
Venktesh informed that the sewerage work is completed at Santa Cruz, Shantinagar, Durgabaht, Sainagar.
He also informed that sewerage work is yet to be completed and pending at Tisk and Varkhandem.
He informed that some vendors had illegally installed CCTVs in market shed at Ponda and they have been removed by the municipality.
Ponda MLA Ravi Naik and all the councillors were present for the meeting.
