Staff Reporter
Panaji
In a positive move, Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) is working towards cleaner industrial estates by clearing garbage created by the industrial units.
On Wednesday, soon after the 395th board meeting, Industries Minister Mauvin Godinho said that GIDC is in the process of setting up material recycling facilities (MRF) and also solid waste management (SWM) plants across industrial estates to tackle the problem of piled-up garbage.
“The waste treatment plants will be in clusters and individual plants are also being set up depending on the amount of garbage generated in the said industrial estate,” said Godinho.
“Eliminating waste is part of the government’s plan to promote a clean and hygienic working environment,” he said.
The Minister added that GIDC has also proposed water treatment plants and working on curbing dust pollution in industrial estates. “In Cuncolim estate where the air pollution is high, we will be increasing the number of air quality monitoring stations,” he said.
GIDC Chairman Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco said that the MRFs and SWMs are part of the corporation’s push to improve infrastructure in industrial estates. “About 80 per cent of the infrastructure works is complete and only 20 per cent remains. More than 100 works are in the pipeline and 24 new works have been approved by the board,” said Lourenco.
GIDC, in 2023-24, spent Rs 91.4 crore on infrastructure, followed by Rs 219.4 crore in 2024-25. The board has proposed Rs 49 crore on infrastructure expenditure for 2025-26 and approved 24 new projects. The infrastructure work includes white-topping of roads across industrial estates. The white-topped roads have a guarantee of more than 25 years. The infrastructure works are towards improving roads, lighting, water, and beautification of industrial estates. Further, GIDC is also constructing five working women hostels, with two hostels slated for Verna industrial estate and one each in Kundaim, Madkai, and Cuncolim estates. Each hostel will have a capacity of 120 women.
