Assolda proposes waste collection fee of Rs 1 per day

Margao: Assolda and Xeldem panchayats in Curchorem constituency belong to the ‘weaker sections’ and it is difficult for these panchayats to put in place an effective garbage disposal mechanism through its own financial resources, said PWD minister Nilesh Cabral on Sunday.
The Assolda panchayat got a new garbage collection vehicle that is financed through the district mineral funds.
“Assolda panchayat generates annual revenue of Rs 4 lakh, and buying a vehicle for garbage collection that costs nearly Rs 8.5 lakh and then bearing its running costs, is beyond their means. I have also put a proposal for a similar vehicle for Xeldem panchayat,” Cabral said at a function organised to mark the inauguration of the vehicle.
The Assolda panchayat has now proposed levying a garbage collection fee of Re 1 per day per household in order to make the garbage disposal mechanism a sustainable exercise. The panchayat has urged the people to hand over segregated garbage to the waste collectors.
Though the Assolda panchayat has set up a composting unit through central government funds, and has purchased a three-wheeler for garbage collection, Cabral said that while the vehicle is malfunctioning, the garbage from entire Curchorem constituency is transported to the newly-built garbage treatment plant at Cacora for disposal.