The Times of India 13.09.2009
Margao Municipal Council decides to go ahead with Plan-B
MARGAO: While chief minister, Digambar Kamat, is scheduled to convene a meeting of Congress Curtorim MLA, Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco and BJP MLA from Fatorda, Damu Naik, in the coming week to discuss the handing over of the Sonsoddo project either to IL&FS and Fomento or Ramky Enviro Eng Pvt Ltd, the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) has decided to go ahead with putting into place its Plan-B in view of the mounting garbage at the dump site.
The plan entails hiring of 20 workers to do the daily segregation of waste at the site. With the services of 25 daily workers withdrawn four months ago as they had completed 240 days of work and under employment norms would have had to be regularized by the council, around 6,000 tonnes of fresh garbage has mounted at the site.
Council chairperson, Savio Coutinho, said on Saturday that the 20 workers would be engaged in the coming week. "We are trying to hire the same workers who were engaged earlier as they are trained and the work will be done faster," said sanitary inspector, Viraj Arabekar.
The interim plan also involves recruiting some 50 daily-wage workers to lift the city's garbage everyday. With a paucity of workers, not all public garbage bins are cleared everyday, leading to accumulation and their spillage by stray animals. The council has faced flak from locals, the opposition and even the police for this.
Meanwhile, chief officer, P Acharya, said the wet waste in the market area could be segregated and locally composted. The composting units in the locality, however, have to be completed first and instructions have been issued accordingly. While there is some protest on the composting of animal waste, the segregation of vegetable waste and composting will take place to reduce the load of garbage being dumped at Sonsoddo.
As for the long-pending door-to-door segregation, the council will require 200-250 workers on a daily basis, said sources. Waste segregation at source is mandated as per MSW rules 2000 and is presently under way only in the electricity employees colony and at housing board. "We will have to understand the logistics first," said Acharya. Describing the commercial city as spread out over a large area, with some scattered areas, he said the feasibility of such segregation was being studied in detail.
The plan entails hiring of 20 workers to do the daily segregation of waste at the site. With the services of 25 daily workers withdrawn four months ago as they had completed 240 days of work and under employment norms would have had to be regularized by the council, around 6,000 tonnes of fresh garbage has mounted at the site.
Council chairperson, Savio Coutinho, said on Saturday that the 20 workers would be engaged in the coming week. "We are trying to hire the same workers who were engaged earlier as they are trained and the work will be done faster," said sanitary inspector, Viraj Arabekar.
The interim plan also involves recruiting some 50 daily-wage workers to lift the city's garbage everyday. With a paucity of workers, not all public garbage bins are cleared everyday, leading to accumulation and their spillage by stray animals. The council has faced flak from locals, the opposition and even the police for this.
Meanwhile, chief officer, P Acharya, said the wet waste in the market area could be segregated and locally composted. The composting units in the locality, however, have to be completed first and instructions have been issued accordingly. While there is some protest on the composting of animal waste, the segregation of vegetable waste and composting will take place to reduce the load of garbage being dumped at Sonsoddo.
As for the long-pending door-to-door segregation, the council will require 200-250 workers on a daily basis, said sources. Waste segregation at source is mandated as per MSW rules 2000 and is presently under way only in the electricity employees colony and at housing board. "We will have to understand the logistics first," said Acharya. Describing the commercial city as spread out over a large area, with some scattered areas, he said the feasibility of such segregation was being studied in detail.
