Team Goemkarponn
CANACONA: Determined to retain Agonda’s reputation as one of the cleanest villages in the country, local youths have taken up a challenge to keep the coastal village spotless and free of garbage.
Led by social activist Estev Rodrigues along with Selvin Fernandes and Vincy Fernandes, the group began a cleanliness drive on Thursday by clearing waste and unwanted material from identified black spots in Val-Aframent, Igrejwada and nearby areas in ward no.5, which covers nearly 60 per cent of Agonda’s coastal belt.
“Our village has already won national recognition as a clean village. Now we are taking it as a challenge to maintain that status and keep improving so that we can bag the award every year,” Rodrigues said.
The youths plan to clean all wards in a phased manner while urging residents to cooperate by handing over garbage to the panchayat collection team instead of dumping it in open spaces. They also cautioned tourism stakeholders against creating new waste dumps.
The Agonda Panchayat has been carrying out regular garbage collection, but locals complained that some unscrupulous elements continue to dump waste in dark spots, undermining the efforts.
