PORVORIM: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday warned that the permits of rickshaws and trucks found dumping garbage illegally will be cancelled for a year.
Sawant stated this while replying to a starred question regarding the illegal dumping of unsegregated waste at Batim in the St Andre constituency.
Waste Management Minister Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monserrate said that the contractor responsible for dumping garbage at Batim has been blacklisted by the Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC), and village panchayats have been directed not to engage his services.
Monserrate noted that due to the rampant dumping of garbage by the currently engaged contractor and hotel garbage contractors along highways and in villages, the government will now decide to centrally collect garbage. The Opposition members questioned the efficacy of the government’s garbage reporting mobile app.
The Minister stated that following a complaint by a Batim resident in January this year, GWMC officials conducted an inspection. A letter along with the inspection report was sent to the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) to take appropriate action against the contractor in accordance with prevailing regulations. The GSPCB, in its report, stated that the contractor had grossly violated the provisions of Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, read with Solid Waste Management Rules 2016, and was causing environmental pollution at Batim.
Although the contractor was granted consent to operate in April 2017, he was not given waste collection authorisation due to several complaints received against him. The contractor had also failed to provide details of the source of waste during the inspection.
CM announces mandatory registration of scrapyards; relocation within a year
PORVORIM: CM Pramod Sawant informed the State Assembly that it will be mandatory for all scrapyards to register with the Goa government within the next six months.
Replying to a private member’s resolution tabled by Bicholim MLA Dr Chandrakant Shetye, the Chief Minister said the government plans to relocate scrapyards, which are currently spread haphazardly across the state, to designated locations outside residential areas. However, he noted that the relocation process may take over a year. The registration process will begin within 15 days.
Waste Management Minister Atanasio Monserrate stated that the Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) has drafted a policy and is currently in the process of identifying and acquiring additional government land for relocating recycling units, up-cycling units, and scrapyards.
