Plaint over mixed waste near school, GHRC steps in

Panaji: The Goa Human Rights Commission (GHRC) has recommended that the Penha de Franca panchayat stop handling mixed waste at its authorised material recovery facility (MRF) and to transport all mixed waste to the waste management facility at Saligao.
“Only dry waste is to be brought to the MRF for further processing,” the commission said.
In its inquiry report on Friday, the commission further recommended that the panchayat instruct the contractor of garbage collectors not to collect dry waste if it is mixed with wet waste.
The commission also recommended that the Goa State Pollution Control Board monitor and inspect the MRF every 15 days. The recommendations were passed after a complaint was made by parents and children of Vidya Prabodhini School, Porvorim, regarding the shifting of primary classes to a new building opposite the garbage plant in a polluted atmosphere in June 2024.
The plot was allotted by the Housing Board of Goa in 2004, and the school building was completed at the cost of Rs 2 crore.
The TCP department issued the completion order in May 2024, and an NOC was issued by the directorate of health services, after which an occupancy certificate was issued by the panchayat.
The MRF was erected by the panchayat following the HC’s directions to all panchayats to create facilities for the segregation of waste. The pollution control board, during an inspection, found that the panchayat was not properly handling the segregation of waste, resulting in environmental pollution.
In July 2024, the board directed that Rs 10,000 be paid towards environmental compensation.