They catch people throwing garbage, make violators clean the roadsides
Margao : Villagers in Benaulim have stepped up their efforts to catch and shame those who dump waste along the roadsides in the village. The alert locals, who have been maintaining a day and night vigil on the increased garbage dumping, in wee hours of Tuesday caught two people while dumping chicken waste at a secluded place.
Locals joined hands several years ago against the garbage dumping, launching the round-the-clock vigil to prevent people from dumping ‘unsegregated’ waste.
The group of 20 people caught as many as 150 violators in the recent past.
In the wee hours of Tuesday, the villagers caught two people while dumping chicken waste along the roadside behind the St. John the Baptist Church.
The ‘culprits’ were made to clean the entire stretch of the road; they were fined by the panchayat.
“For more than a month, locals from Pedda, Mondear and Cana have noticed a rise in waste dumping in the localities. Last night we caught two people while dumping waste. Today we made them clean the entire road…,” said Roque Fernandes, a villager.
The chicken shop owner in the village admitted that it was wrong to dump the waste in such a manner, promising not to throw it again.
The incident has raised questions on disposal of waste generated at the chicken shops in the coastal village, which boasts of a world famous beach.
“The panchayat must at the time of giving the licence to chicken shop make sure that a proper mechanism for waste disposal is put in place. The road stretch, where the waste is dumped, is close to the church. People going for the mass as well as students of a nearby school have repeatedly complained of bad smell, Roque Fernandes said, demanding action from the village panchayat and the government.
Local panch Ezlina Fernandes said the panchayat is working on a mechanism to keep a watch on such shops.
“We have been trying our best to stop the waste dumping. We have also installed CCTV cameras.
People continue dumping the waste at secluded points despite the presence of CCTV cameras and the heightened efforts of vigilant villagers, Ezlina Fernandes said.
It is pertinent to note that in the past a gram sabha of the panchayat adopted a resolution to inspect the chicken shops over waste disposal system.
“Villagers have been asked to give a list of such shops, and the panchayat will inspect them,” the panch member said.