Filthy beaches tick off Calangute MLA TNN | Jun 5, 2012, 04.27AM IST Article Comments (4)
CALANGUTE: Calangute MLA Michael Lobo has complained to tourism minister Dilip Parulekar about the heaps of garbage lying on the beach near the Calangute Residency. 'I was visiting Calangute beach along with newly elected ward member of Umta Vaddo, Jainath Parulekar. We were shocked to see heaps of garbage on the right hand side of the steps opposite Calangute Residency,' he said in a note addressed to the tourism minister and director of tourism. 'All the beaches in my constituency- Candolim, Calangute and Baga are very filthy with garbage and plastic waste,' the letter stated. While garbage from the interior of the village is regularly collected by the village panchayat, the collection of garbage from the beaches is the responsibility of the tourism department, it is learnt. However, the appointment of a garbage collector for all beaches in Goa has been stalled for various reasons. Lobo told TOI that he had already discussed with the chief minister the need to purchase two SUV vehicles by the tourism department to ply on the beach to collect garbage from shack owners. He said he had asked the government to ensure these vehicles are in place before the start of the next season, adding that the village panchayat had volunteered to operate these garbage-collection vehicles. In Candolim, too, Fermino Fernandes, panch member and former sarpanch, said that the job of collecting garbage from the beaches would become easier if it was entrusted with the village panchayat which already collects garbage from the rest of the village. Tourism director Swapnil Naik said that it won't be possible to hand over the job to the village panchayats. "We are trying to appoint one agency to collect garbage from all the beaches, but the process has been held up because of the unavailability of garbage treatment plants in both North Goa and South Goa," he said. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Filthy-beaches-tick-off-Calangute-MLA/articleshow/13830842.cms -- Saligao-Net is at http://groups.google.com/group/saligao-net To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe email [email protected]
