TEAM HERALD
VASCO: Blaming the Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) for the fire disaster at the garbage site in Headland Sada, residents said the MMC could afford to “waste lakhs of rupees” to organise Baina beach programmes but did not have funds to tackle the garbage menace.
Speaking to Herald, the residents stated that MMC has been wasting lakhs of rupees of public money to organise Baina beach programmes but when it comes to development of the port town, municipal officials blame the government.
The residents have urged Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and Urban Development Minister Francis D’Souza to dissolve the council and appoint an administrator for the betterment of the port town.
“If MMC had to spend the same amount to treat garbage, this situation wouldn’t have arisen,” stated an affected resident, who is residing with his family at his friend’s house at Vasco. “We had to inhale poisonous gas for no fault of ours and our houses are still filled with the foul smell,” said the resident.
Some families, whose relatives are admitted at MPT Hospital, said that patients undergoing treatment at the MPT Hospital had to suffer due to the thick smoke which engulfed the hospital.
“Even our children have had to suffer due to the smoke. This council is only interested in selfish gains and least bothered to carry out developmental works,” claimed a resident.
Meanwhile, MMC has pressed heavy machinery into service to churn the garbage and to dump about 12 truckloads of mud on it.
The operators of the earthmoving equipment said it will take at least three days to churn the garbage and stop the smoke. “Every time we churn the garbage, we get chocked with the smoke and we have to halt the operation for at least 15 minutes to breathe in fresh air,” informed a driver.
When contacted, MMC Chairperson Fiola Rego said the council is trying hard to control the smoke and the situation is much better than on Monday. “The smoke will die out in the next two days,” she assured.
