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, Shri Shivprasad Naik, PSI Saligao, Atikesh Khedekar were among those who spoke on various issues pertaining to garbage management.
Dr Martins urged panchayats to let their efforts in the direction of 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 village and ward boundaries in order to fix responsibility to clear garbage, imposing penalties, dealing with those throwing garbage at night, activating garbage management committees at village level, behaving responsibly at an individual level, 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 off 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, Sarpanchas, panchas, Panchayat Secretaries were among those present on the occasion.
