Civic bodies at sea as Margao swamped by building waste

MARGAO: In a blatant contravention to rules which insist on appropriate disposal of construction debris and the failure of the concerned authorities to promulgate prohibitory orders to discourage an increasing number of violators, the twin constituencies of Margao and Fatorda are choking on mounds of construction rejects.
The illegal and indiscriminate dumping of building waste by insensible builders and contractors alongside roads, especially the stretches along the eastern and western bypass, railway station, Pajifond, Gogol etc.have irked locals.
"The waste that contains broken pipes, glass pieces, metal bars and nails, apart from bricks and plaster is dangerous to vehicles and pedestrians alike and it not only deprives vehicles of roadspace, thus endangering lives but also choke drains leading to civic woes. Furthermore, the unauthorized dumping of debris near the Sonsoddo landfill and several open plots and low lying areas in Margao and Fatorda leads to flooding during monsoon besides obliteration of the topsoil adding to environmental concerns," held Margao resident advocate Nick Colaco.
Moreover, the boom in private construction as well as the infrastructure building activity undertaken by various government agencies in the twin constituencies has generated considerable refuse that dot major roads and is dumped in open plots across these constituencies, while the law enforcing authority, the civic body and the district administration seem to be all at sea to hammer out an effective solution to the growing menace.
Warning that public roads cannot be used for unauthorized dumping of construction debris or any objectionable material, DySP Umesh Gaonkar informed TOI that rule books contain several provisions to book violators. "Under Section 16 (A) and 17 (A) of the Town & Country Planning Act, 1974, violators can be fined to the tune of Rs 1 lakh rupees. Unauthorized dumping of waste in low lying areas also call for permission from the TCP. Violators can be penalized under Section 34 of the Indian Police Act," he said.
Several provisions to book violators also exist under the civic and district administration rules wherein people indulging in causing inconvenience to general public can be fined, "but the civic body and the district administration fail to exercise their rights and push the responsibility on to the police," said Gaonkar.
Nonetheless, the MMC affected by typical institutional deficiencies combined by the absence of an appropriate municipal solid waste disposal system is left to grapple with garbage; the civic body is in no position to lift the tons of arbitrarily dumped debris within its jurisdiction. "Where do we dump the debris?" questions sanitary inspector Viraj Arabecar.
According to Arabecar, a considerable quantity of debris from flats and buildings under renovation is been dumped into bins provided by the MMC. "We are left with no option but to lift the debris as it is mixed with garbage. Per day, around 60 to 80 tons of debris finds its way into our bins while the quantity dumped alongside the highways and internal roads is huge," he told TOI.
MMC chairperson Savio Countinho is nevertheless concerned with the mounting amount of refuse that needs to be cleaned up and warned that any person caught dumping will be dealt with strictly. "Besides been a civic nightmare, it is a nuisance to the public and an unsightly appearance as well. Debris cannot go to the garbage disposal system and in the absence of a dumping ground for debris, the MMC is rendered helpless," he said.
However, he disclosed plans to lift the already dumped debris from various wards at the earliest. "We have acquired some place near the KTC bus stand for parking purpose. Debris to be dumped for filling up the area will be collected by the MMC at a certain cost which will be borne by the contractors or builders," Coutinho told TOI. All the same, the district administration mandates for immediate removal of the debris at the expense of the erring builder or contractor.