PANAJI: High court of Bombay at Goa came down heavily on the government agencies for their dismal failure in disposing of the construction debris piling up conspicuously along the roads and highways.
"There is utter failure to adhere to the directions of this court in respect of the issue of construction debris," the division bench, comprising
Justice N M Jamdar and
Prithviraj K Chavan, noted.
The judges had asked for a status report from municipal and panchayat bodies about the action taken to tackle the debris menace in connection with a revived suo motto petition and contempt petition regarding dumping in Merces.
Noting that disposal of construction debris is chronic and remains unsolved, the judges said that the court should not be issuing orders for what is a basic aspect of governance.
Even a casual visitor to the state can see mounds of rubble of construction debris lying all over, they observed.
Further, the bench observed that it is shocked at the dismal state of affairs and the status reports filed by panchayat and civic bodies indicates that the authorities are in a state of denial that a problem exists.
In an order about a decade ago, the high court had issued detailed directions to local bodies and the government to ensure a condition in the construction licence for eco-friendly disposal of construction debris, to monitor this activity and also identify sites for temporary deposition of the waste.
Advocate
Aires Rodrigues, who had filed a contempt petition, alleged that the menace of garbage continues in Merces.
The advocate general said the state government is working out a mechanism to use construction debris along roads and highways for landfilling in required areas through coordination with state agencies.
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