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Chandigarh residents to accompany councillors on Goa study tour
This will be for the first time when the MC will take city residents on a study tour on their expense; the councillors and Chandigarh residents will leave for Goa tentatively on June 26, the MC officials said
After opposition parties accused the municipal corporation (MC) of planning a tour to Goa in the name of “studying” Goa’s garbage processing plant, the civic body has now decided to take few residents from Dadumajra to Goa, along with the city councillors, to study the plant, which is also running as per the suggestions of the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI).
This will be for the first time when the MC will take city residents on a study tour on their expense. The councillors and residents will leave for Goa tentatively on June 26, the MC officials said.
The study tour was planned after UT administrator and Punjab governor Banwarilal Purohit recommended the councillors to analyse the Goa plant during a meeting on June 12.
The decision to involve the public in the tour came after the opposition parties said the plant should be shown to those who are affected by the Dadumajra waste dumping ground so that they can assess how far the Goa plant is from residential area there, how much waste it processes and how much is the smell.
“We have decided to take along residents of Dadumajra for the study tour, approximately five to eight people. They will be shown how the plant works and how NEERI ensures cleanliness, and greenery at the plant site. We believe in transparency and want to take every one along,” said mayor Anup Gupta.
Meanwhile, Congress party said its councillors will also go on the proposed study tour to assess the functioning of the garbage processing plant there.
City Congress president HS Lucky said, “Congress councillors will attend the tour, looking at the seriousness of the issue and on appeal of the administrator to go for this study. This issue concerns the future of the city and party was ready to examine the soundness of the Goa garbage processing plant to get firsthand knowledge of the same.
“The MC must send at least two representatives from residents of Dadumajra to this study tour on the government expenses. If the MCC is not ready to bear their expenses, then the Congress party will pitch in,” he added
Meanwhile, AAP, which has been vehemently opposing the location of the plant, is undecided so far about the tour. “We will hold a meeting of all councillors to decide it,” said Pardeep Chhabra, senior AAP leader.
