A report in The Hindu, forwarded to us by Goa Desc... ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Goa Desc <[email protected]> Date: 26 August 2013 10:42 Subject: Garbage treatment plant:Saligao residents tired of being dumped upon To: "muriel&mario @goa" <[email protected]>
The villages of Saligao and Pilerna Marra in north Goa, bearing the brunt of unscientific garbage dumping for years, have demanded that the State government must take into confidence the gram sabhas of these two villages through a participative consultation process before implementing its decision to set up a garbage treatment plant atop the Saligao hill. Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, legal consultant of Pilerna Citizens’ Forum (PCF) Yatish Naik, accompanied by president of PCF Samarth M. Kerkar and president of Saligao Citizens’ forum Diego Fernandes said they submitted a letter to Chief Secretary, Goa demanding that people must be taken into confidence through Gram Sabhas ahead of clearing the project. The letter has also been signed by Fr. Antonio Francisco Salema, Rector of the Seminary of Our lady, Saligao-Pilerna, Bardez. *‘Villagers unaware’* Advocate Naik said the villagers were completely unaware of the nuances and the details of the type of technology proposed for the said plant, though the government has been loosely stating through media that “it was German technology”. He said that participatory planning envisages decision-making by evolving consensus and most importantly, must disseminate information to the people of the government policies and proposals. He further said it was necessary that the technical persons concerned be called upon to explain the nature of the said garbage treatment plant to address people’s anxiety. In reply to a question, he quoted the provisions of Goa Bio-degradable Garbage Disposal Act and said they have not been suspecting the motives of the government but questioning the methods the government adopts by skirting the democratic process of involving people in the process by giving them full information of projects coming up in their vicinity. He asked whether the government had done an environmental impact assessment of the project, and whether a feasibility study was done as it would involve truck transport which the existing narrow road infrastructure may not be able to bear. Ms. Alice D’Cruz of Saligao said the villagers have been fighting for 15 years over the pollution afflicting them from the dumping of garbage on Saligao plateau. She demanded transparency in the government functioning regarding such projects. *It is necessary that the technical persons concerned be called upon to explain the nature of the said garbage treatment plant to address people’s anxiety* http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/saligao-residents-tired-of-being-dumped-upon/article5060505.ece THE HINDU 26/8/13 ------------------------------------ -- **................................................................ there *is* *anOTHERgoa* at <http://www.an*OTHER*goa.blogspot.in <http://www.anothergoa.blogspot.in>> & <http://www.youtube.com/anothergoa> ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' muriel & mario, c/o FULKAR, 6/22, sonarbhatt, saligao. bardez. goa. 403511. tel: 0832-2278276 / 2409999 <anothergoa AT gmail.com> ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
