PANAJI: The high court of Bombay at Goa has issued notices to the sarpanchas and secretaries of 12 village panchayats for not taking steps to set up material recovery facilities for dry recyclable waste.
In its latest order, it has also directed Goa State Pollution Control Board to issue notices to the sarpanch, deputy sarpanch and secretaries of 69 panchayats to show cause why action should not be taken for their removal under Section 50 (4) of the Panchayati Raj Act.
Despite directions, the court found that 69 panchayats have not applied for any approval from the pollution control board to set up material recovery facilities, and stated that some action is warranted as it had warned panchayats in its previous orders.
The division bench comprising justices Mahesh Sonak and M S Jawalkar stated that although it is inclined to issue contempt notices to all the 69 defaulting panchayats, it decided to begin with issuing notices “…to some of the larger panchayats, which were expected to act with a greater sense of responsibility when it comes to the issue of waste management”.
The court, that is monitoring the state’s garbage management, has found that although the process is under way, it found response from the panchayats of Colva, Assagao and Calangute “quite poor” and directed the sarpanchas and secretaries of these three panchayats to remain present in court on March 4 to report on the status of compliance.
“For example, in Assagao, though the safai volunteers had reported about 14 black spots, hardly 3 were cleared. Similarly, in Calangute, though 18 black spots were reported, hardly 6 were cleared, and in Colva 27 black spots were reported, but hardly 1 was cleared,” the court observed.
It directed the panchayats to take emergent steps not only to clear the black spots, but also “develop a mechanism, by which, black spots do not recur”.
The director of panchayats was also directed to depute an officer to inspect these three panchayats and report on the occurrence of black spots.
In its latest order, it has also directed Goa State Pollution Control Board to issue notices to the sarpanch, deputy sarpanch and secretaries of 69 panchayats to show cause why action should not be taken for their removal under Section 50 (4) of the Panchayati Raj Act.
Despite directions, the court found that 69 panchayats have not applied for any approval from the pollution control board to set up material recovery facilities, and stated that some action is warranted as it had warned panchayats in its previous orders.
The division bench comprising justices Mahesh Sonak and M S Jawalkar stated that although it is inclined to issue contempt notices to all the 69 defaulting panchayats, it decided to begin with issuing notices “…to some of the larger panchayats, which were expected to act with a greater sense of responsibility when it comes to the issue of waste management”.
The court, that is monitoring the state’s garbage management, has found that although the process is under way, it found response from the panchayats of Colva, Assagao and Calangute “quite poor” and directed the sarpanchas and secretaries of these three panchayats to remain present in court on March 4 to report on the status of compliance.
“For example, in Assagao, though the safai volunteers had reported about 14 black spots, hardly 3 were cleared. Similarly, in Calangute, though 18 black spots were reported, hardly 6 were cleared, and in Colva 27 black spots were reported, but hardly 1 was cleared,” the court observed.
It directed the panchayats to take emergent steps not only to clear the black spots, but also “develop a mechanism, by which, black spots do not recur”.
The director of panchayats was also directed to depute an officer to inspect these three panchayats and report on the occurrence of black spots.
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