MARGAO: Asserting that Sonsoddo issue is an apolitical issue, Minister for Town and Country Planning (TCP) Vijai Sardesai on Tuesday said that Sonsoddo’s mountainous dump will be cleared before the coming Lok Sabha election-2019, given the fact that the present government led by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar is stable.
Speaking to media, after launching automatic garbage separation operation at Sonsoddo in the presence of Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco and MMC chairperson Babita Prabhudessai, the minister said that “this government has taken initiative to tackle Sonsoddo dump issue on top priority because it has been a long-pending demand. The machinery at the site will segregate the waste and then shift it. At least 500 tonne of waste will be segregated daily and cleared from the site.”
He said that substantial amount of waste at Sonsoddo dump will get reduced before the coming monsoon.
He directed the agencies conducting the operation here to take steps to prevent the waste from getting mixed with the daily collected waste and treated by Fomento Greens.
He disclosed that there is a sump filled with leachate at the site. “It needs to be stabilised. MMC should see that the leachate does not flow out and create a health hazard,” he added.
He stated that the agencies will be paid by the GSIDC on the terms similar to the works carried out at Saligao plant.
However, when the media asked Sardesai as to whether clearance of Sonsoddo waste depends on the stability of the government, Sardesai shot back saying that political stability is as strong as the operations at Sonsoddo is.
He said the waste is segregated into three forms—plastic, manure and reject. While plastic will be sent to the ACC cement factory, manure will be used for plants. The reject will be used for construction of roads as it has been certified by the concerned authorities. He said the GSUDA’s earlier method of capping would have taken years to resolve the issue.
