PRATIK PARAB
pratik@herald-goa.com
Commerce in the commercial capital of Goa, especially on food and hospitality front, is going through a very bad phase pertaining to sewage management and the condition has gone from bad to worse lately. Sewage of several hotels has begun overflowing forcing some hotels to shut down operations. The JICA loaned PWD executed project of laying the sewage line in the Margao town areas is still half done even after years of work. Citizens from Margao have expressed a fear that the work is not going to be completed even in the next two years.
The Margao town and Fatorda constituency houses several big and small hotels. In addition to that there are a host of eateries and small joints which operate almost all day long. The sad part of these establishments is voluntarily or forcibly these eateries have been releasing the sewage into the drains. These drains have choked and the sewage has risen to road levels.
Even after highlighting the issue n number of times the sewage opposite the Lily Garment road still overflows on to the road. According to sources the hotelier has tried and failed all his ideas to curb the menace and has now decided to shut down the operations of the said hotel.
When asked, officials of MMC’s Sanitation Department said the files of the hotels have been discontinued to be sent to the Sanitation Department. The issues of sewage in Margao have increased to such an extent that the FDA was forced to look into the problems in Margao.
According to reliable information there are over 25 hotels in Margao and Fatorda which are releasing sewage into the drains which is ultimately getting on to the roads. “The MMC has sent show-cause notices to several of these hotels but the sewage release has not stopped. As far as Margao is concerned it is difficult to make out sewage of which hotel is making exit to the drains but is subject to investigation now,” said Sanitary Inspector Viraj Arabekar.
Herald got to the root of this and found out that the relevant authorities have issued licences to over 60 hotels in the last two years. This is when there was no hope of the sewage line starting any soon. The authorities have gone one step ahead and have even given licences for hotels in the basement of the hotels without even looking at the arrangement of transporting raw sewage to the main lines.
The Sewerage Corporation, when contacted, said that they have completed the man-holes construction and intermediate arrangement for the connections of the drains. However, Ganesh Velip, the Engineer, said that the Central Margao and the tail end Treatment plant side work is being handled by JICA loaned work division and are at present working in Margao town.
A PWD official told Herald that some zones of works are completed and some will now start in November. The official has said the work will complete by December.
When contacted the RTI Activist Sriram Raiturkar said, “The line in Margao town from Hari Mandir to the Shirvodem plant is still being laid and I am sure that it is not going to complete in two years.”
“Surprisingly one Margao town has been given to two different agencies; one is completed and the second is half done,” added Raiturkar. “Even the lines which are laid are feared of having failed as they have begun choking even before it begins in full capacity,” said Raiturkar.
A highly placed official from PWD has, however, informed that the agencies executing the works have still neither handed over the works to the plant or to the relevant department. “We have sent a proposal for beginning of the work of connections but sadly the works have not been handed over to us till date. In addition to that the sewage is still not let into the plants as they are still testing the technology,” informed the official.
The scenario in Margao on the sewage front is getting perplexed every passing day making it difficult for the people to face and the commercial town to function in a smooth manner. Fear of yet another Government coming and going before the work finishes is being now expressed and the citizens of the town have requested that the Government takes a
