A team from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) led by Naim Keruwala, Program Director of CITIIS, along with representatives from Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Ltd. (IPSCDL) led by Sanjit Rodrigues, CEO & MD of IPSCDL, and officials of the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP), convened to outline the roadmap for implementing the CITIIS 2.0 (City Investments to Innovate, Integrate and Sustain) program titled “Amchi Swachh Panaji – Ensuring Zero Landfill for a Thriving Panaji.”
CITIIS 2.0 is a program conceived by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) in partnership with the French Development Agency (AFD), Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), the European Union (EU) and National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA). The program envisages to support competitively selected projects promoting circular economy with focus on integrated waste management at the city level, climate-oriented reform actions at the State level, and institutional strengthening and knowledge dissemination at the National level.
This pivotal two-day meeting, held on July 8th and 9th, involved key officials from IPSCDL, CCP and prominent representatives from the MoHUA-CITIIS program. Panaji Smart City was selected as one of the top 18 winning cities amongst the 100 smart cities in the CITIIS 2.0 challenge—a national initiative to promote innovative and sustainable urban development with a focus on solid waste management. At the meeting, the focus was on the winning proposal, “Amchi Swachh Panaji,” aimed at promoting a citizen-centric, decentralized model of waste management for Panaji. The proposal was a collaborative effort led by Sanjit Rodrigues (IAS), MD & CEO of IPSCDL, alongside, Sachin Ambe ( Municipal Engineer , Grade II, Waste Management Cell , CCP) , Sameeuddin Sheikh (Asst. Manager Engineering, IPSCDL) and with support from GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit).
The deliberations emphasized the key objectives concerning sustainable waste management practices –
a) Eliminate Landfill Dependency: Foster a sustainable, circular waste management ecosystem, emphasizing community engagement, advanced technology, and modern infrastructure for efficient resource recovery and environmental sustainability.
b) Active Citizen Participation: Educational campaigns to shift mindsets from “Not in My Backyard (NIMBY)” to “Yes, in My Backyard (YIMBY).”
c) Innovative Infrastructure: Expansion of 16-way waste segregation at the colony level, ensuring efficient separation and reducing the burden on central waste facilities.
d) Decentralized Waste Processing: Reduce transportation costs, emissions and operational burdens while improving the working conditions of sanitation workers through bio-digesters and composting stations.
e) Advanced IT Solutions: Integration of advanced IT solutions with the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) for waste tracking and monetization of waste by-products aims to streamline operations and promote sustainability.
Sanjit Rodrigues, CEO & MD, IPSCDL said, “Panaji Smart City is dedicated to attaining 100 percent success under the CITIIS 2.0 program. Addressing the challenges of Solid Waste Management, IPSCDL is leading the way as a role model in this initiative. We are privileged to have Central teams visiting Goa and collaborating with us, ensuring our efforts are both effective and achievable.”
Meeting Highlights
During the two-day meeting, officials reviewed the progress of the 16-way waste segregation which was piloted in 33 residential colonies in the city since June , 2021 and now under CITIIS 2.0 proposal plans to expand this model to 205 residential colonies. Upgrades to the exiting Material Recovery Facility (MRF) at St. Inez and bio-digesters were proposed.
Besides Naim Keruwala other officials from the CITIIS team who were present at the meeting included Bibekjot Singh Sandhu, Program Manager, CITIIS, Cyriac Kottukappally, Social Safeguard Officer, CITIIS, Ishita Wadhawan, Program Officer, CITIIS. Another high-level meeting was held earlier with Agence Francaise de Development (AFD) representatives, including Breuile Lise, Country Director AFD , Jyoti Vijayan Nair, Urban and Resilience Sector Portfolio Manager AFD , IPSCDL and CCP Project team .
The Central officials as well as AFD also visited various waste management facilities managed by the Corporation of the City of Panaji and inspected several residential colonies. Their visit included stops at the sorting station and Bio-digester near NIWS, PAWS and Hotel Fidalgo. They also toured the Material Recovery Facility at St. Inez, the Composting Station at Panaji Market, the Bio-methanation plant near Heera Petrol Pump and the Effluent Water Tank at Campal Parade Ground.
