Team Herald
MARGAO: Congress MLA Luizinho Faleiro following a meeting with the panchayat members from his constituency declared an award of Rs 1 lakh to the cleanest ward in his constituency after discussing with them ways and means to keep the constituency clean.
A special committee will be constituted to judge the cleanest ward from the panchayats of Navelim, Telaulim, Aquem Baixo, Davorlim Dicarpale and Rumdamoll Davorlim. Members including sarpanchas and deputy sarpanchas of all five panchayats attended the meeting held this morning at Rumdamoll Davorlim panchayat.
The Goa Waste Management Corporation agreed to finance the garbage management programme for Rumdamoll Davorlim panchayat by identifying and cleaning the site for waste management and also providing a digester which is estimated to cost around Rs. 27 lakhs.
Besides, within the next week the SWMC will prepare a plan for garbage management for the Rumdamoll Davorlim panchayat and also help clean the 16,000 sq mts of land it has for garbage management. Incidentally the daily garbage collection in this panchayat is around 5 tonnes per day.
While initially the corporation will start with Rumdamoll Davorlim it will take up Aquem Baixo next and within a month will prepare such plans for all the five panchayats. Incidentally, the plan to have a common garbage segregation plant for three panchayats that was mooted earlier appears to have been shelved.
Besides, it was also decided at the meeting today to train around 10 literate youth from each village who would be empowered to fine people littering roadsides and open spaces with their garbage. Though the law mandates such fines, it is rarely implemented due to lack of man power.
“We have impressed upon the BDO to amend the Goa Panchayat Raj Act or laws to allow panchayats to employ youth to fine people who litter and also to provide these youngsters security from public,” said Luizinho Faleiro.
It has been recommended that the fines collected be divided into two halves with the panchayat receiving one half while the other half being used to pay the wages for the youth employed for the task.
The BDO was also asked to prevail upon the government and more particularly the Town and Country Planning Department not to clear mega projects unless the proponent has plans for waste management and for installing a transformer shown in their project plan.
It was also decided to ask the police to increase the fine from the meager amount of Rs. 100 to Rs. 500 they levy for people who litter to the maximum prescribed fine of Rs. 5,000. Besides, all the five panchayats are supposed to identify a sit for garbage management in their jurisdiction.
