Faldesai vows to withdraw proposed garbage plant at Bainguinim

Faldesai vows to withdraw proposed garbage plant at Bainguinim

PANAJI: Reiterating his opposition to the proposed waste treatment plant at Bainguinim, Cumbarjua MLA Rajesh Faldesai has vowed to withdraw the project and not allow it to proceed at any cost.

He was reacting to a recent comment by Waste Management Minister, Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monserrate who had stated that the tender for the solid waste management plant would come out in the next two months.

The Goa Waste Management Corporation has planned to float the tender for the third time after two precious falied attempts.

Monserrate had recently commented said that irrespective of any opposition, the government will go ahead with the project. Monserrate had also said that the Bainguinim plant is the need of the hour and work is going on in that direction.

Faldessai said that the minister had recently spoken of maintaining a buffer of 500 mts in the vicinity of the proposed plant, when in actuality there is only 200mt buffer zone as per the Town and Country Planning Department notification.

“If you see there are about 2,000 flats in the vicinity of the site and about 6,000 to 7,000 people are staying at the site. Besides that there are the Churches of Old Goa, the Mutt, schools, hospitals, the Carambolim lake, all this will be destroyed. So we want that the plant be taken out from there and taken to a place where there is no habitation,” Faldessai emphasised.

” I am vigilant and will stand by my people till the very end, which is why I will never allow the plant to come up there. I went to the site last month and have seen the situation. I have sat there with the people and discussed the issue and checked the feasibility. Any Minister talking in favour or supporting this plant should first come here and then decide,” Faldessai said.

One can recall that Faldesai had raised the issue of the Bainguinim plant during the recent monsoon session of the Goa legislative assembly along with other opposition MLAs.

“I have been elected now for the last four months. What happened before that, what the MLA did, and what the panchayat did is not my concern. The people of Cumbarjua have elected me as their representative, and I will not let them down,” he added.