PANAJI: The Goa government will soon ban plastic in all State offices, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Wednesday.
Mr. Parrikar met representatives of all government departments on Tuesday, to discuss his vision for Swachh Bharat. “I have told them to consider Swachh Bharat as their personal agenda. The government will issue directions in coming days that the departments should not use plastic in government offices,” Mr. Parrikar said during a press conference Wednesday.
He said the date from which plastic will be banned will be decided during a meeting with heads of departments soon.
Mr. Parrikar also said the State aims to ensure that nearly all government financial transactions are carried out digitally by March 2018.
Greenfield airport
The Chief Minister said the government expects to earn ₹15 lakh per day from the Greenfield airport at Mopa, once it is operational. Emphasising the need for speedy completion of the airport, he said, “A day’s delay will cost us around ₹15 lakh.”
Mr. Parrikar said that the 14 Dhangar (tribal) families, whose homes are on the land where the airport is expected to come up, would be allocated homes and grazing land elsewhere.
The greenfield airport, which will come up around 50 km from Panaji, is being developed by GMR Goa International Airports Limited, a subsidiary of GMR Airports, on a public-private partnership basis. It is expected to become operational in 2020. The Goa government is a 36.99% partner in the venture.
