Team Goemkarponn
Panaji: The Goa government has stated that administrative and financial approval is awaited to begin the process of lifting hazardous waste lying for several years at the Cuncolim Industrial Estate.
In a written reply to an unstarred Legislative Assembly question tabled by MLA Yuri Alemao, Environment and Climate Change Minister Pramod Sawant informed that the Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) has sought administrative and financial approval from the government. Once approval is granted, the corporation will commence the work of removing the hazardous waste.
The proposal for disposal of the waste was forwarded by the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB), along with a quotation from M/s Ponda Envocare Limited, Pissurlem, which operates the Common Hazardous Waste Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facility in the state.
According to the government, the estimated cost for transportation and disposal of the legacy hazardous waste from Sunrise Zinc Limited at Cuncolim IDC to the treatment facility is ₹14,97,98,050.
The minister further stated that the National Green Tribunal (NGT), in its order dated December 11, 2014, had directed that the SBI Stressed Asset Management Branch would not be liable for further expenditure required for the disposal of the hazardous waste and that the GSPCB should take immediate steps to dispose of the waste.
Meanwhile, over the past five years, the GSPCB has spent ₹23,02,573 on covering the hazardous waste dump with tarpaulin sheets to prevent contamination of surrounding water bodies during the monsoon. The board has also transferred ₹2 crore from its Polluter Pays fund to the Goa Waste Management Corporation to support the disposal process.
