NT NETWORK
CALANGUTE
Garbage continued to pile up along the Baga- Sinquerim beach belt on Wednesday as the Drishti Marine stopped providing its four-wheel drive garbage vehicle for lifting the garbage bags.
And, this posed a major problem to the stopgap contractor, who did not have such vehicle for lifting the garbage bags stacked on the beach belt.
Also, no garbage could be collected from the shacks.
The garbage that was collected by the workers in bags could not be moved to the Saligao Solid Waste Treatment Plant as the contractor was not having the letter, from the Goa Solid Waste Management Corporation, that authorises the entry of garbage vehicles in the plant.
The shack operators along the beach belt expressed concern that “if this garbage collection issue continues, it this will affect their business.”
They pointed that “only a skeletal staff is involved in beach cleaning,” and added that garbage is getting piled up.
They said that “dogs and cows are proving to be a nuisance as the garbage bags that are being stacked by the workers are being rummaged through by these stray animals, and in the process garbage is getting strewn around.”
Some shacks which are close to the road handed over their dry garbage to panchayat garbage collection contractor and wet garbage was disposed pits in the sand.
“Drishti did not give their vehicle to lift the garbage bags stacked on the beach. You need a 4 wheel drive vehicle to move on the sand,” said Alex, a shack owner at Calangute
John Lobo, Shack Owners Welfare Association
secretary told this daily that “some shacks which are close to the road handed over the garbage to the panchayat garbage collection contractor. Those shacks which do not have an easy access to the road disposed of the garbage in bushes.”
When contacted, sarpanch of Calangute Shawn Martins said that “the panchayat is ready to lift the garbage. We need permission for that. We have told the shack operators if they need any help we are ready for that.”
When contacted, the director of Saligao Solid Waste Treatment Plant Sanket Dhandoriya said that “we do not accept garbage brought by unauthorised vehicles.”
Managing director of Goa Solid Waste Management Corporation Sanjit Rodrigues said that “the Saligao plant is not accepting beach belt garbage as it is brought without being segregated. The rule is for all. We cannot break the rule of segregation. Some segregated beach garbage was brought at the plant, and it was accepted. Authorisation letter is given to a vehicle for bringing beach garbage.”
Calangute MLA Michael Lobo said that he “has spoken to the Chief Minister to find a solution to the problem and wants the Drishti Marine to continue with the cleaning of the beaches as the makeshift contractor does not have a four wheel drive vehicle to lift garbage from the beach belt and as such the garbage piled up on the beaches, which is very bad for tourism.”