Margao council walks the talk, fines Rs 2,000 for mixed waste

MARGAO: Stepping up its drive of collecting only segregated waste, the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) on Tuesday cracked the whip against residential and commercial complexes still providing mixed waste to the garbage collectors.
MMC chief officer Siddhivinayak Naik said all errant establishments were fined Rs 2,000 on the spot for the first offence under the Goa Non-Biodegradable Garbage Control Act 1996 and the rules framed thereunder.
“Mixed waste was not collected and they were strictly instructed to segregate their waste henceforth before giving it to the garbage collectors. Failing this, they will be fined Rs 5,000 for the second offence as provided under the statute,” Naik told reporters, adding that subsequent offences would attract fines upto Rs 25,000.
Led by Naik, the MMC inspection team comprised municipal engineer Rajesh Desai and sanitary inspector Sanjay Sangelkar among some others.
Among those fined included several reputed commercial establishments, hotels and restaurants as well as housing societies across the city.
MMC is battling a crisis on the garbage front after Fomento Green, the firm operating the garbage treatment plant at Sonsodo, refused to accept unsegregated waste inside the plant since last month.
The firm has already served a notice of termination of agreement with the MMC over setting-up and operating the garbage treatment plant.
MMC had recently issued a public notice stating that garbage collectors of the municipality have been strictly instructed not to collect the waste from those units which fail to produce receipts of payments of house tax and annual sanitation fees.