PARRA VILLAGE NEXT TO BE HAUNTED BY GARBAGE PROBLEM

MAPUSA: Gone are the days when the garbage issue was restricted to only cities, today, garbage menace has also come to haunt villages and the failure on the part the villages in tackling the issue has led to its aggravation with the result being that garbage or solid waste is now seen thrown by people along village roads and sometimes even on the roads.

Parra village is one such village that is badly affected with this problem.  Starting from Dosishir that happens to be the border of Parra, Assagao and Anjuna right up to all the borders of the village, garbage can be seen dumped by people carelessly in spite of signboards prohibiting the same.

Parra has no garbage treatment plant and the panchayat has also failed to tackle this menace effectively. Garbage is seen dumped in fields, in front of houses, in gutters and all over in public places.

This garbage includes all types of kitchen waste and also plastic. In the rains this garbage blocks gutters and drains and is also an invitation for diseases.  Just two years back a few families from Parra had contracted malaria due to all unhygienic conditions. A local Mr Germano Dias says that this is due to the irresponsible attitude of educated people, who could be from Parra or the surrounding villages.

"Merely putting up sign boards is not enough. If garbage dumped is dumped right in front of these sign boards and the panchayat cannot act, then these boards are of no use. The panchayat could well get them removed. The panchayat has to act effectively in tackling this issue and stop passing the buck or washing off the hands," he said.

Another villager Mr Sakharam Pednecar, infront of whose house a large amount of garbage has been dumped, has strongly flayed the panchayat for failing to tackle this issue.

"Garbage is dumped right in front of our house; several complaints to the panchayat have been made in the past but nothing has happened. Different types of garbage is brought and thrown carelessly in front of our house. This has caused a great inconvenience to us," Mr Pednecar pointed out.

Sarpanch, Mr Benedict D’Souza has refuted the charge saying that there are no buildings in Parra and therefore the question of garbage does not arise.

"Garbage is not an issue at all in Parra; all the garbage is being taken care of and if at all there is any garbage it is because of people from surrounding areas who bring and carelessly throw their garbage in Parra," he added

On the other hand this stance of Mr D’Souza was completely rejected by ZP member, Mr Michael Lobo, who is also a resident of Parra.   Mr Lobo said that the garbage problem in Parra was quite severe and the entire village was affected due to this problem.

Mr Lobo sought to know why the panchayat had proposed works worth Rs 85 lakh in the budget when it could not spend just Rs 5 lakh to tackle the garbage issue.

He further said that the sarpanch was fooling the people by saying that there was no garbage problem in Parra.

"In my ward I clear the garbage every month and this includes all types of garbage including plastic," he informed. Mr Lobo also felt that a garbage treatment plant for Parra was the need of the hour.

"There are funds coming for this from the Directorate of Panchayat so why is the panchayat not using it," he wondered. At least the panchayat could start with vermin-composting plants, he stated.

"Even if the panchayat acquires 500 sq metres of land and hands it over to me, I am ready to spend my money and help set up vermin-composting plants. This issue has to be solved threadbare by the panchayat and there should be no passing the buck," stressed Mr Lobo (NT)