Goemkarponn desk
CALANGUTE: Minister for Waste Management Michael Lobo today squarely blamed the Tourism Department waste littered on Goan beaches
He said the Tourism Department forcefully took over the waste management on beaches but failed to manage waste on the beaches.
“Ex-CM Manohar Parrikar had initially said that only Solid Waste Management Corporation (SWMC) will take care of wet and dry waste everywhere; that is why we built plants at Saligao and Cacora, and one coming up at Bainguinim. We also built the bio-medical waste plant at Kundaim. It is our work,” he said said.
Lobo added, “however, the beach cleaning was forcefully taken over by the Tourism department. I had told Dy CM Babu Azgaonkar that he wont be able to handle it.
He is a good minister and friend, but they don’t understand that collection and treatment ahs to go together.”
Lobo said that it is not the subject matter of the Tourism department.
“The CM has to take this seriously, and next time changes should be made,” he said.
He said it was decided initially that SWM would float a tender to collect waste from the beach, but last-minute ex-CM gave it to tourism. But now, they cannot manage it.
“Tourism officers do not want to come and check whether the collection is done or not done on the beach. Though the contractor is doing a good job, continuous littering has to be looked into,” he says.
He says people would not listen unless they were penalised.
“There has to be fine. SWM has the authority to fine. We have to look into all these aspects and then make a decision,” he said.
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