NESHWIN ALMEIDA
neshwin@herald-goa.com
Before October 25, 2015, the NGOs were up in arms with the municipality in Margao and the burning issue was Sonsoddo, leachate, garbage dump, capping or no capping, corruption, non-performance and no seriousness of the council to tackle garbage in the city. All was done and said and the municipal elections became a playing field for voting for a change. Tall promises were made and the people of Margao elected just four of the old faces while 16 others were new faces.
But four months hence, this is the sight at Sonsoddo. The tarpaulin at Sonsoddo supposed to be a temporary cap is ripped by scavengers and over 300 stray dogs.
Unsegregated waste is brought to the garbage plant, almost 80% goes down to the landfill and not for recycling.
Former Chairperson Arthur D Silva says, “I can challenge you that the garbage plant is not even functional. Though 50 tonnes of garbage are produced daily, the plant doesn’t have a daily supply of compost.”
D’Silva believes the truth in his accusation can be checked on the daily electricity consumption at the plant. “Those huge cranes and trommels at Sonsoddo consume large amounts of electricity but the electricity consumption at Sonsodo on most days is below ten units. Most garbage is going untreated from the plant to the existing dump. I dare Fomento Green (running the garbage plant) to make their daily electricity consumption readings available to public and justify that against the garbage that comes in,” he charged belligerently.
Meanwhile questions are being asked about the sudden quietening down of the tempo of several like-minded citizens and NGOs who had upped the ante on the issue and were responsible in formulating the Margao Declaration on Garbage at the Battle for Margao organised by Herald.
Rajeev Gomes who would storm the municipality daily in 2015, has pulled himself back, his daily visits to MMC a thing of the past. When questioned about this, by Herald, Gomes asserted that he will return to agitation and maintaining checks and balances at the Margao municipality only post April 2016. “I don’t want this new council of 20 turning around and saying I didn’t give them the space to perform. Six months is a teething period and let them have that time to learn the ropes and perform in Margao and Sonsoddo.”
Similarly Rajashree Nagarshekar from Citizens for Sonsodo who has led many movements to clean the approach roads to Sonsoddo, asserted that as she is the convener of Aam Admi Party in Goa, party work doesn’t give her time for Sonsoddo.
Rashid D’Souza claimed that personal reasons have kept him away from Citizens of Sonsoddo work and hence, other leaders from the group will have more details, while he also states that they are waiting action from GSUDA and pollution board.
Another member of citizens for Sonsoddo, Roque Noronha asserted that GSUDA has tendered online inviting bids to clear the existing dump in Totem and till then they have no action plan but to wait.
The ground reality is that Sonsoddo is at a complete standstill. The much fanfare with which the foundation stone was laid to commence the work of the landfill site at Sonsoddo, took place in November but there is no work commenced till date.
But MMC says work will start soon. “This time around, I want all work related to Sonsoddo and the landfill site to follow proper procedure and permissions as per the law. Hence there have been delays in executing any work related to Sonsoddo. The GSPCB has just given us permission but we are yet to collect the order. In a few days from now, all work at Sonsoddo should commence. I don’t want work to stall or red flags to be raised later, hence the delay to have all permissions in place,” MMC Chairperson Babita Angle said.
Former CM and Margao MLA Digambar Kamat and Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai stated that delayed green signals from Goa State Pollution Control Board have delayed the entire procedure to commence the excavation, while Fomento Green CEO Sridhar Kamat asserts that they have all permissions but they still are waiting before commencing the work.
MMC and Fomento Green have just three months to complete the work and cap the dump once again to prevent leachate while the MMC needs to tackle the stray animal menace at the site, all this before the 2016 monsoons set in.
