PERNEM: The waste treatment plant at Pernem has turned into a white elephant as it has remained non-operational even after being set up in 2016.
Pernem has a long stretch of costal belt from Tiracol to Morjim, along with one industrial estate and 16 villages, which collectively generate huge amount of garbage on daily basis. A state-of the-art waste treatment plant was set-up in Pernem but from last five years, the plant has remained non-operational. The facility has literally turned into a white elephant for the people of Pernem.
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Authorities have turned their blind eye towards this project, for which crores of tax payers’ money had been spent and the people are getting only assurances in return.
Sources informed that while on one hand the facility hasn’t yet started, the maintenance cost of this plant is rising daily.
Located on Pernem plateau, the project is spread over an area of 8,000 sq mt. Its foundation stone was laid in the year 2013 and was first inaugurated in June 2016, but the plant has remained non-functional.
Project was undertaken by Goa State Urban Development Agency and Pernem Municipal Council after entering into an agreement with a Tamil Nadu-based company M K Aromatics Ltd and was to function on revenue sharing basis.
PMC collects two ton garbage on regular basis and around five ton more garbage is collected on weekly market day. However the garbage which is presently lying at the site is not segregated into dry and plastic waste.
Sources informed that the purpose of this plant was to treat plastic waste and to further convert it into fuel. The plant presently has two units, one is organic waste composter for wet waste and other is shedding machine for dry and plastic waste. The plant already has the required machinery in place but authorities are yet to hire the required manpower to work at the plant.
This project has also received its authorisation from the Goa State Pollution Control Board.
If the plant starts functioning, then it can treat 10 ton of garbage on daily basis, which will further give out seven tons of furnace oil. It can be further used by boilers and ships along with three ton of met coke and 500 kg of wax.
Since Pernem Municipal Council receives only two tons of garbage on regular basis, it was also decided that the municipality would collect garbage from neighbouring villages such as Morjim, Mandrem and the whole of coastal belt.
The most affected garbage zones in Pernem are Dhargal to Patradevi NH17 stretch and the Pernem coastal belt from Keri to Morjim. The road leading to the Pernem’s coastal belt, although is widely visited by Indian as well as foreign tourists, doesn’t have dustbins, forcing the tourists to litter on the roadside.
