Cabinet nod for enhanced capacity of Saligao plant

Panaji: The state cabinet on Wednesday approved enhancement of treatment capacity of the solid waste management facility at Saligao to 250 tonne per day from the existing 150 tonne per day, which will have the outlay of Rs 103.87 crore.

The enhancement of treatment capacity of the Saligao facility will be carried out through the existing concessionaire M/s Hindustan Waste Management Treatment Pvt Ltd on nomination basis.

The enhancement proposal was first placed before a cabinet meeting held on February 18, 2019.

Briefing media persons after a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that although the waste treatment capacity of the Saligao plant is actually 100 tonne per day it has been treating 150 tonne garbage every day.

The cabinet also approved to recruit 30 nurses for the COVID Hospital on contract basis.

Besides, it approved appointing Ernst and Young LLP as a consultant for streamlining the functioning of the Goa Investment Promotion and Facilitation Board. The appointment of the consultant has been made on the basis of fixed charges for two more years.

The cabinet also approved acquiring 1,235 sq mtrs land at Majorda in Salcete taluka for the Margao-Vasco rail track doubling project of the South Western Railways.

The cabinet gave its nod to the COVID-related expenditure to the tune of Rs 8 crore, the amendments to the solar power policy and the transfer of a piece of land at Davorlim, which belongs to the water resources department, to the power department for a sub-station.

The cabinet gave approval to 3-TPD organic biodegradable waste treatment plants to be set up at 30 locations in Panaji on trial basis for five years. The plants will be funded by the central government’s department of biotechnology.

Sawant said the cabinet approved acquirement of an additional 2,367 sq mtr of land for the Mopa international airport and reduction in runway of the Mopa airport from 3,750 metre to 3500 metre, adding that the government wants to commission the airport by March 2022.