Roque Dias
Margao
Referring to the adage, ‘Make hay while the sun shines,’ citizens of Margao and Fatorda have urged the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) to prioritise the establishment of a waste treatment plant at Sonsoddo.
Despite deliberations on multiple strategies and visits to several successful plants, the civic body has failed to resolve the issue since 2019, when Fomento Green withdrew from operating its facility.
Instead, the MMC has diverted focus to transporting nearly 60 tonnes of mixed and dry waste daily to the Cacora Waste Treatment Plant. For this, the council procured additional leak-proof compactors and spends sizable funds ferrying waste nearly 20 kms to Curchorem.
“Now since Margao legislator Digambar Kamat has assumed the role of a minister, we are hopeful that a lasting waste treatment facility will be established at the Sonsoddo site. The MMC must lay all its focus on the timely establishment of the facility. Else, Cacora-Curchorem will shut its doors on the MMC and we will face a waste disposal crisis,” said Ratnakar Naik of Margao.
A Fatorda resident said, “A collective effort is a must. The government also needs to help the civic body for the cause. Once the waste treatment plant is set up at Sonsoddo, MMC will save a lot of money which is currently spent on waste transportation.” She urged MMC chairperson Damodar Shirodkar to expedite the process before the next municipal elections are announced.
Last month, ruling councillors approved a proposal for a 10-tonne gasification plant, rejecting the earlier 15 TPD biomethanation plant plan, citing shortcomings of a similar unit at the SGPDA-owned fish market at the Old Market.
GEDA has assured to
establish a mixed waste treatment plant at Sonsoddo, and the council has issued a letter of intent. Councillors have asked the chief officer to arrange a presentation by company experts, despite a few councillors already being convinced after visiting an operational plant in Pune.
