Team Herald
MARGAO: Taking into consideration the history pertaining to handling the much discussed issue of the Sonsoddo dump yard, citizens of Margao have said that they don’t want any more assurances, but need a practical solution.
However, Damodar Shirodkar, Chairperson of Margao Municipal Council told Herald that not only has the civic body taken the issue seriously but even the Goa Waste Management Corporation has taken keen interest in resolving the vexatious Sonsoddo issue.
Recently, Margao MLA Digambar Kamat along with the officials of Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) and Margao Municipal Council visited the Sonsoddo site and assured to take the issue seriously. Kamat explained that they have put a plan to handle the dry waste and the GWMC was also working
on a solution regarding
wet waste.
Admitting that there are few things that need to be put in place at Sonsoddo, Shirodkar said the problem with regard to dry waste will be completely resolved by February 2023.
“We have constituted a separate cell to handle the issue, wherein the local MLA, besides representatives of the GWMC are part of the panel,” he informed.
But, at the same time Madgaonkars feel that the said visits and inspections are nothing new, and they want the concerned authorities, including MLA to resolve the Sonsoddo issue, which they failed to do for the last several years.
“We have seen leaders doing inspections at Sonsoddo several times. During every such visit, they assure Madgaonkars that they would solve the Sonsodo problem,” said Loyola Rodrigues and added that
the stinking nuisance has gone from bad to worse.
“At one point of time, they even stalled the effective treatment of waste at Sonsodo terming the operations then, as extracting of a gold mine,”, said Mathin Karol.
Savio Coutinho, former Chairperson of Margao Municipal Council said that the Municipality and the government was squandering crores of public funds, when cost effective solutions could be undertaken for which, citizens offered voluntarily assistance.
“We have been screaming our guts out, trying to impress upon Kamat as well as other leaders in Margao, besides the state government, but they prefer imported contractors for obvious reasons,” Coutinho charged.
