Garbage Management- a pile of rubbish By Dr Joe D' Souza
A bad carpenter always blame his tools and it is surely not surprising that the present ineffective Mayor of Corporation of City of Panaji ( CCP) is squarely blaming the people at large and the ‘ unknown miscreants’ for the garbage fire at Campal parade ground during the ‘ Golden jubilee’ celebrations. What was amusing still was the blamegame approach of Patricia Pinto, who is nominated to the Corporation as a Councillor, exclusively to take care of the garbage woes of the City, which is stinking terribly. The blaming of the ‘ Aam Admi’ wrongly for the smoke and fumes at the Campal ground by the CCP would not ever solve the garbage woes of the capital city. The approach of the garbage handlers of the Panjim City is of a thief shouting thief! thief ! to distract attention and divert focus from the grave issues of ‘ Garbage Mismanagement’. During 2011, for the entire year, garbage from festivals, feasts, fairs, exhibitions demonstration, rallies and hotels has been dumped scrumptiously and discreetly all around Panjim, around Rua de Ourem creek and Campal parade ground. These individuals from CCP itself have dumped garbage unscientifically and covered it up with heaps of debris to avoid smell and foul odour. Due to the organic contents, as well as the inflammable plastic components in garbage methane has generated. Whether accidental or deliberate, methane is in- flammable, and it catches fire, often difficult to control. Inspite of High Court order, the CCP on the contrary has been catalyzing this dangerous trend of garbage dumping at the parade grounds. As the site is over loaded and the methane generation appropriate it is the CCP which deliberately ignited the fire, so as to reduce the volume and make the place freshly available in the future for further dumping. Surendra Furtado, Corporator of CCP has been tirelessly working to ensure SWM site is available for Panjim. But who in command, would hear him? Like the dead, these garbage dumps tell no tales, but they do not also hide the truth. Ever since Babush Monserrate has installed Yatin Parekh as the Mayor, the problem of CCP has magnified and scaled up manifold as scientific and sustainable approach to tackling the garbage woes is not forthcoming. On the contrary, licenses are dished out liberally for activities generating garbage, much more than ever before, with shooting of films on Panjim roads becoming an every Sunday routine. Except for crying wolf ! wolf ! or thief ! thief ! Yatin Parekh has only succeeded in adding to the garbage menace adversely affecting Panjim. In May 2011, the Mayor destroyed the Garcia de Orta, garden by allowing a Summer festival within the precincts. In Dec 2011, all around Garcia de Orta, there were 400 stalls and small illegal traders, during the feast of Immaculate Conception. These migrant hawkers from Hyderabad, Belgaum, Hubli cooked, ate, and defecated not in the Mandovi river waters but in ‘ Plastic bags’ and left it in drains, around the garden in the city. The CCP workers and their supervisor Jacinto appeared hapless victims as they had to collect hundreds of bags of food wastes, plastic litter and bags of faeces discarded by the hawkers. While Nero fiddled, Rome was burning. Yatin Parekh is squarely blaming the " Aam Admi" for the ills actually of his doings. On 1 January 2012, there was a bonfire in the Panjim garden and garbage bins, mobile toilets, brooms, baskets, etc were burnt to ashes, with tax payers losing lakhs of rupees. I have been shouting from the roof top of the need to scientifically manage the garbage at a treatment plant with JNNURM funds available at the asking from the Central government However, instead of forwarding the detailed project report on Solid Waste Management, prepared in consultation with Tetra Tech. New Delhi for which over Rs 35 crores would have been sanctioned. The ruling fraction of the CCP under the guidance of the Engineer Ambe, Patrica Pinto and Yatin Parekh have only squandered crores received from Urban Development Minister Joaquim Alemao to erect or build compound walls on the various garbage dumping sites around Panjim. No efforts are on by them to get in place a garbage management and a solid waste treatment plant required for Panjim city. " I am helpless and am forced to release funds to the CCP and refrain from asking further questions bemoans the " good hearted" officials of government of Goa in the urban development Ministry. The CCP administration threaten the CM and urban development minister that the Panjim city garbage would not be lifted if funds sought for are not forthcoming. Unfortunately the blackmailing and the arm twisting tactics of CCP have worked and Digamber Kamat government has avoided looking at the larger picture of the degradation of Panjim City by garbage mismanagement by CCP. The below table indicate how the C. C. P has squandered money on building boundary walls and retention fencing around " so called" garbage dumping site using tax payers money and acquiring properties not suitable for waste management. Source: Herald Jan 5 Panjim Plus Edition http://www.epaperoheraldo.in/Details.aspx?id=2970&boxid=32056484&uid=&dat=1/5/2012 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Protect Goa's natural beauty Support Goa's first Tiger Reserve Sign the petition at: http://www.goanet.org/petition/petition.php ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
