Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant, expressing concern of the escalating waste dump yards in villages, said that some people in Goa for their personal benefits allow industrialists  and hotels to dump Garbage in villages, thereby destroying the beauty of villages and future repercussions.

Dr. Sawant was speaking at an inaugural function of one day Stakeholders Engagement Workshop on Waste Management organized by Goa Waste Management Corporation today at Multipurpose Hall Sanskrit Bhavan Patto Panjim.

Speaking further, he said that if such acts continue, then in the next 10 years tourists will stop visiting our State and urged everyone to shoulder the responsibility to keep Goa clean. Our State is known for its beauty and cleanliness. Goa Government is spending almost 160 crores towards managing garbage and is ready to spend more money besides providing whatever technical help but it’s your duty to take responsibility to keep your villages clean, he added.

He also directed all the Panchayats to take action if they found any person throwing garbage near Road sides.

He said the Goa Government has initiated steps to make Goa Garbage Free State and highlighted various Government initiatives to manage the various types of waste in the State. Goa has Asia’s largest Solid Waste Management Plant at Saligao. Goa has developed Waste Management Systems for all types of waste including solid waste management, sewerage treatment plant, Bio Medical waste, chemical waste, Industrial waste, construction waste and e-waste in Goa, he said. Bio Medical Plant in Kundaim is one of the best plants in India and it is a zero investment of the Government, he informed.

He further informed that the Government has spent crores of rupees to clean some legacy garbage dumps including sonsoddo, Vasco dumb yards and said that some  people again started throwing garbage in that area.