Gasification plant for solid waste at Sonsoddo on cards

Margao: The Margao Municipal Council (MMC) at the council meeting on Friday approved a proposal to establish a 10-tonne gasification plant for solid waste treatment at Sonsoddo.

The council, in effect, rejected a previous proposal for a 15-tonne biomethanation plant at the same location after a similar facility at the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) market failed to function smoothly.The Goa Energy Development Agency (GEDA) has selected a Pune-based firm through a tendering process for over Rs 7 crore. However, councillors insisted on inspecting a functional plant before providing final approval.Municipal engineer Dipak Faldessai said that the plant’s special characteristic was its ability to process mixed waste. With Margao municipality managing over 50 black spots generating approximately 5 tonnes of mixed waste daily, the facility could significantly streamline waste management operations, he said.Faldessai also said that substantial quantities of sanitary waste generated in the city must be sent to the biomedical waste treatment facility in Kundaim at considerable expense, suggesting the gasification plant could provide a solution to Margao’s waste management challenges.

The council has also approved the establishment of a hydraulic multi-level parking system in Margao, three months after the Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA) invited expressions of interest for the Rs 10.5 crore project. This hydraulic system replaces the original Rs 10 crore reinforced cement concrete multi-level parking plan, which failed to materialise despite multiple tender attempts. Further, MMC chairperson Damodar Shirodkar informed the council that a committee headed by the district collector has identified five locations across the city for implementing pay parking. The council decided to proceed with increased house tax and other fees for the current fiscal.