GSPCB cracks whip on Colva panchayat

Panaji: The Goa state pollution control board (GSPCB) has directed the village panchayat of Colva to enforce rules on use of plastic bags and to collect the solid waste generated during the 10 day celebration of the feast of Infant Jesus in the village in October.
The direction has been issued under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.“Prior to giving permission for the setting up of stalls, the village panchayat of Colva should enforce strict rules on the use of plastic bags and disposal of the same. A solid waste collection system should be set up and it should be the duty of the village panchayat to collect the waste,” GSPCB chairperson Jose Manuel Noronha said.
The board also directed that fair stall vendors be encouraged to use paper bags and bins be laid at intervals along the entire feast fair stretch. The panchayat has been directed to collect the dry waste, segregate it and send it to the solid waste management unit at the department of science and technology for further disposal.
Noronha said failure to comply with the direction will compel the board to initiate legal action against the village panchayat.
The Colva civic and consumer forum had filed a complaint before the board about the illegal dumping and burning of garbage by fair stall owners during the celebration of the feast, “which pollutes fresh water sources”.
Acting on the complaint, board officials conducted an inspection of the site on November 3, 2015. Officials observed that while the stalls were dismantled after the celebrations, the waste was not cleared and was dumped into a water body nearby instead. The burning of plastic waste was also noticed.
GSPCB observed that portable chemical toilets were not provided during the festival.