Goemkarponn desk
PANAJI: A panel discussion on garbage management in coastal Bardez organised by District Legal Services Authority, North Goa, under the aegis of NALSA (National Legal Services Authority), was held at Pilerne Panchayat today. It was chaired by Managing Director, Goa Waste Management Corporation, Dr Levinson J. Martins. Secretary, District Legal Services Authority, Panaji, Smt Vijayalaxmi R. Shivolkar, Block Development Officer (BDO) Bardez Taluka, Shivprasad Naik, PSI Saligao, Atikesh Khedekar were among those who spoke on various issues about garbage management.
Dr Martins urged panchayats to let their efforts in managing the garbage menace be continuous as he said garbage is generated continuously. He said the time has come not to blame each other but to work hand in hand.
Among the issues discussed were deciding on village and ward boundaries to fix responsibility to clear the garbage, imposing penalties, dealing with those throwing garbage at night, activating garbage management committees at the village level, behaving responsibly at an individual level, and monitoring bulk waste generators, etc. Sarpanches from different panchayats spoke of how they were resolving issues at their level and also of the issues they were facing.
Earlier, Secretary, District Legal Services Authority, Panaji, Smt Vijayalaxmi R. Shivolkar welcomed the gathering and spoke of the relevance of holding such an interactive session between panchayat bodies and Government representatives. Engineer, Solid Waste Management, Saligao, Shri Dhiraj Chodonkar, through a PowerPoint presentation, highlighted the work done by authorities in disposing of garbage in Goa.
Ms Suzan Koshy from Arpora and Shri Roshan Mathias from Candolim, Para Legal Volunteers (PLVs)- who report about garbage black spots- shared their experiences. Para Legal Volunteer for Solid Waste Management, Ms Maria Angelica D’Souza, proposed the vote of thanks. Director, Centre for Environment Education, Shri Sujeet Dongre, Sarpanches, panchas, and Panchayat Secretaries were present.
