PANJIM: The ordinary meeting of the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) turned stormy on Thursday with the ruling and opposition groups clashing over the issue of transfer of land to the State government to set up a garbage treatment plant at Baiguinim.
During the discussion, ruling corporators objected to the immediate transfer of land whereas the opposition members demanded that a resolution be taken within a day.
Ruling Councillors Uday Madkaikar and Rahul Lotlikar were against transferring land to Goa Waste Management Corporation stating they wanted four days to study different options including if the land could be leased out to the State government and revenue generated for CCP.
However, Opposition corporators Rupesh Halarnkar, Pundalik Raut, Shubham Chodankar, Menino D’Cruz and Vaidehi Naik emphasised that it was necessary that the resolution be passed immediately.
“The land has been purchased by the government. My concern is the government wants to construct the solid waste management plant in four places and everybody wants such a plant. If now we miss the chance we don’t know when we shall get it,” opposition Councillor Pundalik Naik said.
Mayor Surendra Furtado claimed they needed four days for a legal opinion. “We have kept another meeting in this regard on coming Wednesday. We need time to study to explore various other options. We are not objecting to the treatment plant, we want it but before going ahead we want to study the options,” Furtado said.
Former Mayor Shubham Chodankar said that during his tenure as Mayor, if the proposal had been accepted then the garbage issue would have been solved. “This was not done during that time and today they want to commit the same mistake,” Chodankar said.
