KATHY PEREIRA
Ragpickers, considered a nuisance elsewhere in Canacona taluka, have been a blessing in disguise for the Canacona Municipal Council (CMC) in its efforts to get rid of heaps of untreated garbage at its garbage treatment plant.
While the ragpickers have been helping themselves to the large amounts of scrap from the inoperative Garbage Treatment Plant (GTP) at Dumane-Canacona, thereby addressing CMC’s problem of untreated garbage, the CMC is also aware that such activity cannot be legitimized as it would have unintended consequences.
Mindful of this Catch-22 situation, CMC Chairperson Simon Rebello has now promised full-fledged operations of treating garbage at the GTP, to prevent stealing of valuable scrap collected by CMC workers in the near future.
The CMC’s prestigious Dumane GTP is presently in a deplorable condition, with piles of garbage constantly being dumped in the ongoing tourism season.
“The ragpickers, who were often seen along municipal roads and tourism spots, are now noticed quietly heading directly to the GTP. These rag-pickers come equipped with bags and segregate valuable scrap from the garbage heaps, which are regularly dumped by municipal compactors. The scrap thus collected is then transported in specially hired pickups and rickshaws,” a source told Herald.
Incidentally, this correspondent noticed an empty CMC garbage vehicle stationed next to the scrap bags and the ragpickers across the Canacona-Agonda roadside, but outside the gate blocking the entrance to the GTP.
The ragpickers said that the bags had been filled with scrap they had collected from dumps/heaps of untreated garbage at the GTP. “We are waiting for our pickup to transport our bags,” admitted one ragpicker.
Garbage collection has increased ever since the Canacona coast witnessed a surge in tourism activities since October.
CMC Chairperson Simon Rebello admitted that the ragpickers could be stealing scrap from the council’s garbage plant. “But their activities will be stopped, as the CMC has already deputed workmen to undertake garbage segregation. The plant will commence operations in the days to come,” said Rebello.
“Given the enormity of garbage generated in the civic areas, even the lone garbage compactor and another mini-garbage compactor are insufficient for our needs. The CMC is set to procure a new compactor before end of this week to meet the needs,” confirmed Rebello.
“The CMC has given the responsibility to the CMC’s supervisor to carry out garbage segregation and commence garbage treatment process,” he added.
Despite inactivity at the Rs 1-crore GTP which was setup less than two years ago, CMC is learnt to have procured one more bailing machine and also appointed and deputed necessary workmen to handle and process the garbage.
According to sources, the garbage treatment process has come to a standstill since the past 10 months, with locals of Dumane alleging that some workers in connivance with officials have been clandestinely disposing garbage by burning the waste.
Soon after taking over as CMC chairperson, Rebello had insisted that proper garbage management (collection and treatment) would be his priority.
When reminded about his priority, Rebello said: ‘Yes, and I am definitely achieving it.”
