Fed up with the stench and the failure of the authorities to effectively handle Margao’s long pending garbage problem at Sonsodo, local residents under the banner of Citizens for Sonsodo (CFS) took it up upon themselves to participate in the’ clean up’ project.
“The motive of Citizens for Sonsodo is to ensure that some way or the other a solution is found. It has become clear that the authorities are not really concerned about solving the issue of garbage’,” said Roque Mascarenhas on behalf of CFS.
Citizens for Sonsodo is a group consisting of professionals, businessmen, engineers, lawyers, garbage management experts along with other common citizens. Besides educating themselves, CFS is meeting with officials of state government, Solid Waste Management Cell of Goa State Pollution Control Baord), MLA’s, MP, village panchayats, Municipal council, zilla panchayats, church & temple institutions, schools, local bodies & others creating awareness to free ourselves from this menace.
CFS members added that they felt compelled to do something as they were facing this problem on a daily basis..
The initiative consists of villagers of Curtorim, Chandor, Macazana, Raia, Rachol, Camurlim, Lotoulim, Shiroda besides residents living close to the Sonsodo garbage dumping site like Gogol, Housing board, Borda, Agalli, Aquem etc.
“As the awareness about our initiative is growing we have been getting support from further areas with more people joining us from areas as far off as Nuvem, Majorda and Benaulim. We have also received support from citizens from further areas due to the fact that it is a health hazard to their children who are studying in Manovikas School and are exposed to the pollution,” added Mascarenhas
CFS’s first initiative was a cleaning and beautification drive from the Christo Rei hall compound to the Upgrade showroom which happens to be the main road access to the villages of Raia, Rachol, Maina, Curtorim.
“Citizens have contributed their men & machinery for the above cause. Educational signage’s have been installed at the above road,” added CFS member Rajashree Nagarsekar.
Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco said that he was always willing to help out CFS whenever required.
“We have been given to understand that various Municipalities & Village Panchayats of Goa have been implementing similar solutions if not fully at least partly which takes care of a large percentage of the problem,” said Mascarenhas.
