Team Herald
VASCO: Port-town prides itself for getting Goa Governor’s award for cleanliness, under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan last year. To some extent the Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) also managed to get rid of dark spots, as part of its ongoing campaign of ‘garbage and plastic free Vasco.’ However, MMC needs to put in a lot of effort to eliminate the menace of garbage from certain areas in the city, especially Khariwado.
According to Khariwado locals the garbage menace near Sulabh toilet, which is located adjacent to the crematorium has become a serious issue, as the municipality had failed to clear the garbage dumped there.
Local residents feel that the municipal body has no concrete garbage collection or disposal policy; otherwise they would have not neglected garbage from certain areas of the ward, especially from the area opposite to Sulabh toilet.
“We pay house tax but in return we don’t get the service that we are entitled to and that is why the area near the crematorium is gripped with garbage menace,” a resident of Khariwado pointed out.
Interestingly, during every cleanliness drive, leaders from Vasco and Mormugao ensure that they make promise of making Vasco ‘garbage free’. Currently the MLA Carlos Almeida has set January 26, 2018 as the target for MMC to make Vasco garbage free but if MMC starts neglecting certain spots then it would be very hard to achieve the goal, explains another resident from Khariwado.
“After performing well in terms of solid waste management, Vasco civic body appears to be losing the track. I feel that MMC needs to constitute a special team comprising municipal inspectors and citizens, to ensure strict monitoring and timely collection of garbage from all 25 wards. Currently they (MMC) should also focus on Khariwado, which is part of Vasco city and is facing garbage menace severely,” a social worker from Vasco Pramod Amonkar said.
