MARGAO
Conceding that raw sewage was being discharged from the Margao sewage treatment plant (STP) into the river Sal due to operational fault, PWD Minister Nilesh Cabral said a permanent solution will be found to the problem, even as he mulled disciplinary action, including suspension of the erring officials handling the plant.
A day after Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas raised a stink over the raw sewage discharge into river Sal, the PWD Minister inspected the plant with sewerage corporation senior officials, only to find that the plant was not functioning because the operator failed to rectify the fault, mulling action including termination of the contract.
Referring to the provision made in the STP complex for the discharge of raw sewage into the river Sal, Cabral said it is done at all the 3,000 plants set up under the technology across the country.
“The provision is made to tackle any situation in times of emergency when the plant fails for a couple of days. This provision cannot be invoked by the operator. Instead of rectifying the fault, the operator was letting the raw sewage into the river,” Cabral said.
While promising to put a system in place to ensure that the valve to discharge raw sewage into the river is opened only through a system by keeping senior officials in the loop, Cabral said his inquiries have revealed that the officials handling the plant and the contractor took things easy without any accountability.
“The contractor says he was not paid money for the repairs, but he has to date not raised the bill. The site engineer says he had kept senior officials in the loop over the STP status, but there was nothing in writing to date,” the minister said.
Stating that he would put a system in place at the STP to avoid the recurrence of such incidents, Cabral assured that no such incident will recur again giving no chance for the Benaulim MLA and people to complain.
Saying he has asked for a detailed report on the Margao STP from the sewerage corporation officials, Cabral said a solution and action will follow soon at the site.
“I want to hold the officials accountable. They are not illiterates but have degrees. I have not fired bad words at them but must have pulled them up since I have to get work done. Venzy has tried to hold me responsible, but I am not responsible for everything when the officials and workers are accountable for the work,” he added.
He laughed at Venzy’s demand for his resignation, demanding to know who is the Benaulim MLA to demand that the Chief Minister sack him from the cabinet.
Benaulim MLA demands sewerage corporation clean entire river Sal
MARGAO:
Stating that only time will tell whether the non-functioning Margao sewage treatment plant (STP) is rectified or not, Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas has demanded that the sewerage corporation should not only be penalised for polluting the river Sal but demanded clean up of the entire river on priority.
Venzy told the media after PWD Minister Nilesh Cabral visited the STP that justice will be done only when river Sal is cleaned up by the sewerage corporation.
“I want to make clear that the buck stops at the PWD Minister, who also holds the Environment portfolio. There’s no point in holding the juniors responsible for the situation. I decided to intervene today when I saw that the Minister and top officials were just involved in passing the buck,” he said.
Demanding that the PWD should remove the pipes facilitating the discharge of raw sewage into the river Sal, Venzy said: “Even ships have overflow valves to release oil in the sea in the event of flooding. But, it is locked and sealed and opened as per the procedure.”
He added: “Here is a case wherein there’s no system and the raw sewage is discharged in the valves without accountability.”
Saying the Colva panchayat was fined just because they did not set up the material recovery facility, Venzy said the sewerage corporation should not be allowed to go scot-free.
