Panaji: A neglected part of Garcia da Orta garden near the main square below Panaji Church has become a regular site for burning garbage, despite a ban by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in December 2016.The burning waste poses a threat to nearby trees and locals have been upset over the flouting of the NGT ban as they suspect that workers may be quietly setting fire to dry garbage."This is for the third time that dry waste has been set afire at this spot," said a Merces resident.The fire and emergency services personnel were called to extinguish the fire, and a tree nearby was saved from being gutted. Citizens, who have been observing the unscientific means of waste disposal, decried the lack of monitoring by the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) authorities. "The fire is usually noticed just after dusk," a source said. The fire on Friday was noticed at 7.15pm.CCP mayor Surendra Furtado denied that workers were responsible for burning the waste. "The citizens do not cooperate with our staff in segregating the waste. We have 400 workers collecting door-to-door waste and yet, there is garbage littered everywhere," he said.The civic body has provided black and green bins for dry and wet waste, but citizens don't cooperate in putting the waste inside the bins, Furtado said.

Stay updated with all the Latest Goa headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.