Panaji: Of Goa’s 191 panchayats, only six have operational material recovery facilities (MRFs) with valid approval from the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB), the Board found during inspections conducted in villages as per high court directives.The absence of MRFs hampers recycling and increases the burden on landfill sites in the state.
While 95 panchayats have set up permanent MRFs that are operational, none has obtained mandatory GSPCB approval. The Board issued notices directing them to secure permission, but only 15 have responded so far.The inspection also revealed that seven panchayats have not constructed an MRF. Another 67 have temporary MRFs, eight have temporary facilities that are non-operational, and eight have permanent facilities that are not functional. Assonora, Bhati, Calangute, Candolim, Penha de Franca and Ugem are the only six panchayats with operational MRFs that have GSPCB approval.MRFs are crucial for receiving, segregating and preparing recyclable materials such as plastic, paper, glass and metal for further processing, thereby reducing waste sent to landfills.“We noticed that while the panchayats were tardy in implementing the waste management rules or setting up MRFs, they were in overdrive when granting building permissions. As a result, several buildings mushroomed, and there were very few facilities to treat the waste generated by the villages,” the high court observed.The high court further said that if the village panchayats fail to comply with its directions, GSPCB may approach the court, and “this court can then consider whether any restraint or action should be imposed on the errant panchayats from issuing fresh construction permissions.”
