PANAJI: The opposition benches cornered the government, on Tuesday, over the information provided by it to the state legislative assembly that the operator of the Saligao-based solid waste management plant – Hindustan Waste Treatment Private Ltd – who will operate the plant for 10 years, has invested Rs 145.95 crore in the project, but will receive Rs 381 crore from the government by the end of the decade.
Margao MLA Digambar Kamat, who raised a related question during the Question Hour stated that the annual grant of Rs 29.9 crore to be paid to the plant operator for a period of 10 years, the gross annual operational support grant of Rs 7 crore to be paid by the government for a decade, plus another Rs 11 crore towards infrastructure to be paid to the operator, collectively makes it a hefty sum of Rs 381 crore.
“Is this expenditure justified, especially when the operator has invested Rs 145.95 crore in this project,” he questioned.
Stating that the solid waste management plant is an experiment, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar, speaking on the occasion said that as per a memorandum of understanding signed with the plant operator, the government will own the plant after a period of 10 years. “Besides, the operator has set up the plant at his own risk, because if the plant stops functioning then the government will have nothing to lose, while the operator will face losses,” he observed, stating that spread over a period of 10 years, Rs 381 crore is not a very big amount.
Minister for Science and Technology, Alina Saldanha informed the House that the project is being implemented along the Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Transfer (DBFOT) model.
Saldanha also informed that a sum of Rs 7.14 crore has been spent by the government on the land, compound wall and approach road, however, it has not spent anything on the setting up of the plant.
“The Saligao plant can handle 100 tonne of waste per day, and 25 village panchayats have been selected to supply their garbage to this plant, out of which only 13 are doing so,” she revealed, pointing out that since the particular plant is not receiving required quota of garbage regularly, garbage collected from North Goan beach areas and that collected from along the national highways passing through Goa, is taken to this plant.
Independent Fatorda MLA, Vijai Sardesai questioned the authority, which has allowed the garbage collected from along the national highways and beaches in the state by various contractors, to be taken at the Saligao plant for disposal.
“This garbage needed to be treated and disposed independently by the respective contractors,” he stated, and questioned if it would be considered a breach of privilege as per the MoU signed with the plant operator, if the plant does not receive 100 tonne garbage on a daily basis.
The Chief Minister said that the amount of garbage treated by the plant is gradually increasing, with an average of 32 tonne of garbage reaching the plant regularly during the month of May, which increased to 46 tonne in June, 59 tonne in July and estimated to reach between 68 tonne and 70 tonne in the month of August.
“Once the tourist season begins in the state, this quantity would further increase,” he maintained, noting that the government will also construct similar plant at Curchorem, in South Goa, on the same model.