The state pollution control
authority in Goa
issued a show cause notice to the Margao
Municipal Council in South Goa
for slack efforts to douse the fire which has been raging for several days at one of the state's largest garbage dump at Sonsoddo, located near South Goa's Margao
town.
Talking to reporters late on Thursday, Ganesh Shetgaonkar, chief
of the Goa
State Pollution Control
Board expressed concern about the pollution caused by the fire at the garbage dump and said that the Board was monitoring the situation and had directed the municipal authorities to respond to the Board's notice within three days.
"Next two three days we will be monitoring and the MMC
has to reply to our showcause within three days else, we will have to initiate legal or criminal prosecutions," Shetgaonkar told reporters late on Thursday.
"We have issued direction to chief
officer of Margao
Municipal Council. As per the directions he has to take the initiative in extinguishing the fire and also we will be monitoring the ambient air quality," Shetgaonkar added.
Over the last few days, a garbage dump in South Goa's Sonsoddo area has been emitting smoke due to fire triggered by combustible methane gas pockets
in the dump, which the state government
has been unable to douse despite efforts.
Chief
Minister Pramod Sawant
is monitoring the crisis on a day-to-day basis and has assured that the fire would be brought under control "in a few days".