BJP looted Goa in the name of Garbage, filled coffers of party leaders: Cong

Amit Patkar

The Congress has demanded a white paper on garbage management, while accusing the BJP Government of looting the State Treasury under the guise of Garbage Management.

Chief Minister of Goa, Dr Pramod Sawant, recently admitted in a public function that due to the piles of garbage accumulated across the State, Goa would not see a single tourist for the next 10 years. This statement clearly highlights the Government’s failure to manage the garbage crisis, stated Congress President Amit Patkar.

“I strongly condemn the statement of the Chief Minister who has alleged that the Local Panchayat and Municipal Council Members are involved in Corruption related to Waste Management. I dare the Chief Minister to disclose the names of all such members, and also explain why his Government did not act against them in last ten years,” Amit Patkar charged.

The BJP Government in Goa recently launched its “Mission 30 per cent Commission” from the Goa Beach Cleaning Contract, which was eventually certified for corruption by the Goa Lokayukta. Despite this, Amit Patkar claims that piles of garbage can still be seen on almost all the beaches in Goa.

He has called on Dr Pramod Sawant to explain why his government did not investigate the Beach Cleaning Scam. Clearly, the issue of corruption in the beach cleaning contract has not been properly addressed and dealt with, leading to the continued presence of garbage on the beaches of Goa.

Amit Patkar recently revealed that the garbage collection contract along the National Highway has turned out to be a Big Scam with one of the contractors looting the State Treasury. Documents have proven that the contractor, who is a BJP Office bearer, has been paid crores of rupees without any monitoring of the work. This is a major issue that needs to be addressed, and the guilty party brought to justice.

Amit Patkar has refuted the claim of the Chief Minister that Goa is the only State in the Country to have seven types of Waste Treatment Plants. This is evidenced by the fact, said Patkar, that the Saligao Waste Treatment Plant, commissioned at a cost of almost Rs 300 crore, has failed to cater to the garbage management of the Coastal Belt.

The Cacora Curchorem Plant is not yet fully operational, and the government is clueless about the disposal of garbage at Sonsodo in Madgao. Furthermore, the E-Waste Management facility at Pissurlem is not yet functional, and the Construction and Demolition Waste Management facility has not even seen the light of day.

This indicates that Goa is not as advanced in waste management as the Chief Minister had claimed.

“Let Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant release a White Paper on Waste Management in the State. Let him clarify why Tourism Department is still continuing with the Beach Cleaning work when there is a separate Ministry and Corporation for Waste Management. If the Chief Minister feels that Rs.160 crores spent on Garbage Management are a waste, he must sack his Waste Management Minister Atanassio Monserrate immediately.” stated Amit Patkar.

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