Parulekar's puritanical tourism outlook? -1 April 29-May 5, 2013 Lionel Messias
Last week Goanspirit promised to give you tourism minister, Dilip Parulekar's rather listless tourism projects planned for each of the Assembly constituencies in Goa. Not only do they lack the vibrancy needed to change the booze-drugs-entertainment image that has come to be the face of the tourism industry, they are not even vision driven as any new tourism policy ideated to attract tourists should be. At the worst Parulekar can be said to be still pondering on what to do. The huge list in fact looks like something that came out of the drawing boards of the Power Ministry and Public Works Department. Let's begin with Sanguem where Parulekar wants to build an interpretation centre at/near Selaulim dam on land owned by the Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC). Also proposed is a plan to develop the surroundings of Shree Datta Gufa temple, Shree Gopinath temple and Budbud lake in village Netorlim. Also known as Bubbles lake, it is a sacred lake of bubbles (reportedly these can be seen) attached to the Gopinath temple. But while Parulekar plans to build the interpretation centre from the ground up, he wants to lease out the tourist cottages owned by GDTDC to private investors. Goanspirit asks why not privatise both projects? Why one only? Canacona gets a plan to "develop and provide minimum basic touristic facilities at Bamonbudo waterfall in Gaondongrim village". In July 2012, he had also proposed to develop and provide minimum basic tourism related facilities at the Bamonbudo waterfall, Gaondongrim village and Budbud lake. Then, he had said the delay in appointing a private consultant had caused the delays in implementing the projects. With his government on a high over acquiring privately-owned land, he plans to acquire a private island at Nagorcem-Palolem "to promote hinterland tourism". Bondla: Construction of an interpretation centre at the Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary on land owned by the forest department. Surely this is for the forest and environment minister to decide, just as GS feels that Goa Forest Development Corporation Ltd is best suited to design and build the planned interpretation centre at/near Selaulim dam (see Sanguem). After all these are the two only genuine tourism projects so far that Parulekar could think of. Benaulim: Development of a Colva coastal circuit with parking, walkway along the beach, seating arrangements, viewing tower, toilets, souvenir shops etc. Blueprint of Colva Viewing Tower GS: We have signed copies of the blueprints for the "Proposed Colva Circuit Development prepared by Lotus Environment and in all honesty they can only be described as alarming. Our most startling discovery was that the viewing tower will have among other amenities, a coffee shop and 15 other shops, obviously the souvenir shops Parulekar talks about. The first floor will house a kitchen and restaurant and the second floor will be entirely a restaurant. There is an information centre, book shop, rest rooms, ticket counter and lobby as well on the ground floor. This concrete monster will have to be built on a foundation of RCC piles. Now imagine for yourself the environmental impact it will have on an already overloaded Colva beach; if it can escape the scrutiny of the Ministry of Environment and Forests in Delhi and the Bombay High Court under whose purview this project will surely end up, that is. As for the plans for the stinking creek which soaks up much of the sewerage from the nearby restaurants, the plan is to cover it with nylon mesh, after the existing parapet wall is strengthened with granite cladding and other concrete reinforcement. If you didn't know, the Panjim-based Lotus Environments is the current government's favourite consultant. Calangute: Construction of a ramp at Sinquerim; development of Baga coastal circuit with parking, walkway along the beach, seating arrangements, viewing tower, toilets, souvenir shops etc. GS: A walkway is currently being built on Malvan beach. GS was there only recently and saw the destruction caused by broken boulders used to create the elevated concrete walkover, left behind on the sand by the careless contractor. Bulldozers and forklifts used for the construction had churned up the sand, possibly beyond repair. This will happen in Goa too going by the proven shoddy work of the PWD registered contractors so much of which has been documented through RTI and clearly evident from the early repair work that has become the rule of the day. We also fear that drunken tourists will break their empty bottles with greater gusto over the walkway despite the new ban on drinking alcohol on the beach which the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) has been ordered to stop. Incidentally, it was glass shards injuring tourists that forced the ban. And we seriously don't believe the outnumbered IRB has the human resources or the motivation to control the hordes of drunken tourists. A case in point is the harassment of women at Chorla Ghats by drunken tourists from Maharashtra. Might we also remind the government that the tourist police introduced by its predecessor turned out to be just like the villains they were put there to deter. Also for Calangute: Development of Calangute-Candolim circuit with parking, walkway along the beach, seating arrangements, viewing tower, toilets, souvenir shops etc. More at: http://www.goanspirit.com/index.php/lead/264-parulekar-ponders-on-the-pointless-1 ~Avelino
