MARGAO: Will the Town and Country Planning department, Margao Municipal Council and Fomento answer the people of Margao why the proposed landfill site at Sonsodo waste treatment plant has not seen light of the day till date? The integrated waste treatment plant set up at Sonsodo mandates Fomento to set up a landfill site and a leachate treatment plant to tackle non-biodegradable waste and waste water. Sadly, work on the landfill site and the leachate collection tank has not taken concrete shape. And in the absence of a landfill site, non-biodegradable waste finds its way into the existing Sonsodo dump yard, further aggravating the waste problem at the site. When Herald contacted Fomento CEO Sridhar Kamat to throw light on the landfill site, he pointed fingers at the Town and Country Planning department for delay in giving the go-ahead signal for the hill cutting. “We had obtained all the permissions when the hill was cut to make room for the landfill site. But after some people stopped shifting of the mud from Sonsodo, the authorities had sought further clarifications on the hill cutting permissions”, Sridhar said. While Fomento had approached the TCP’s office for necessary clarifications with plans and drawings around November last year, the company has not heard anything from the TCP office till date. “We could have gone ahead with the hill cutting, but when certain authorities responsible for law and order were insisting on further clarifications, we had no option than to wait for TCP’s confirmation, which we have not received till date”, he added. What’s interesting to note is that the Margao Municipal Council, which is owner of the acquired land, has been found wanting in getting the things sorted out vis-a-vis the landfill site. When Herald tried to seek information from MMC officials on the fate of the landfill site, they sought to shift the blame on Fomento, saying that the company has taken charge of the Sonsodo site for treatment of the waste. When contacted, MMC Chairperson Dayanand Deulkar said work on the landfill site has been held up following objections from NGOs for the hill cutting. “Fomento has applied for certain permissions and the company may receive them in the immediate future”, Deulkar added.