Corrupt civic bodies looting garbage disposal funds: CM

Panaji: Chief minister Pramod Sawant on Friday hit out at representatives of panchayats and municipalities for their alleged involvement in corruption over garbage management in the state.
“Some people don’t know how they can get money for waste management but they know how to siphon off money allotted for garbage management. I have seen how corruption is done over garbage. Around Rs 60,000 is allotted for garbage management but not even Rs 20,000 is spent for its management. They hire one rickshaw and one labourer and generate a bill of Rs 90,000. At least we have to do sincere work,” Sawant said.
Sawant was speaking at the inauguration of the one-day stakeholder engagement workshop on waste management at Panaji. He also said that not a single tourist will visit Goa in the next 10 years if people continue to dump garbage in public places.
He urged citizens not to litter.
He also said that hotel and industrial waste is being dumped in villages and if this is not treated then in “no time Goa will become a waste dump yard”.
“Last 40 years we have a mentality that for a small amount we are ready to have another Sonsoddo in our own villages,” he said. “Industrialisation has contributed to garbage dumps in villages. When a hotel comes up in any village he (the proprietor) gets hold of a public representative to treat the garbage of the hotel and for some amount that person doesn’t treat the garbage which then creates a garbage dump in the village,” Sawant said to point out that some public representatives were making money off the garbage issue.
“Goa belongs to us and (if) we continue to dump garbage then in the next 10 years no tourists will come to the state. It is our responsibility and we should not allow garbage dumps in the state,” Sawant said adding, “Goa is the only state to lift garbage from beaches and from roadside.”
Sawant said that Goa has Asia’s largest solid waste management plant at Saligao and the state has developed waste management systems for all types of waste including sewerage treatment, bio-medical, chemical, construction, industrial and e-waste. “The bio-medical waste plant is the best in the country with zero investment by the state government and it has five-star facilities,” he said.
“I am sure the day-long workshop for the panch, sarpanch and other stakeholders shall enlighten them to make efforts for waste management in the state. It is our responsibility to keep Goa clean and protect its identity for enhancing tourism and ease of living,” he said.
The chief minister said that the state government is spending crores of rupees to clear legacy dumps. “We have to work towards not having any more legacy dumps in the state,” he said.