The Chief Minister, Mr. Pratapsingh Rane said the government policy is to maintain a proper balance between industrialisation and the environment for sustainable development of the state.

Speaking as chief guest after inaugurating a two day national workshop on ‘Green Technologies for Waste Management’ jointly organized by the department of civil engineering, Goa College of Engineering and the Centre for Environment Science and Engineering IIT, Bombay at the Goa College of Engineering, Farmagudi, Ponda today.

The Chief Minister said that pollution and environment are the most important factors and hence there is a need to create greater consciousness among the people about these two vital aspects in view of an ever increasing population and growth of industries.

The Chief Minister said that today India has become a hub for investment. He added that industries were needed to generate employment, but at the same time necessary measures had to be taken to control pollution. The invention of new technologies would help to overcome hazards and pollutant aspects he added.

The Chief Minister termed holding of workshop on Green Technologies for Waste management as a praiseworthy effort and said that this effort of the organisers would help to provide newer concepts in emerging practices on waste prevention.

Dr S K Gupta, professor and Head, CESE,IIT Bombay who was the guest of honour opined that the pollution caused due to industries has been substantially minimised due to waste management skills.

Dr D B Boralkar, member Secretary, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board in his key note address called for peoples involvement in environment protection. He enlightened the participants on the hazardous waste management in India and said that new technologies should be adopted to prevent pollution caused due to rapid development.

Altogether 112 delegates including engineers, researchers, and technologists from the States of Goa, Maharashtra, MP, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, besides 16 participants from municipalities and Pollution Control Boards are participating in the workshop. The participants will deliberate on topics such as solid waste management:legal compliance, solid waste management plan for a city: a case study, technologies and techniques for mining waste management, economics aspects of mine closures, technologies for MSW disposal: thermal methods and incineration, physical chemical treatment for industrial 3effluents, biological treatment of waste water (aerbic and anacraobic and advanced practices in industrial waste water treatment case studies.