The Goa government is paying huge sums of money to beach-cleaning contractors for keeping our pristine beaches clean as they are the major tourist attraction in Goa.
Despite these huge amounts being paid, there is a lack of regular cleaning.
Yes, beaches like Calangute, Baga, Candolim and Anjuna are full of trash. The simple reason is that these are the most visited by Indian tourists, who sadly still lack civic sense and mindlessly dispose of their rubbish wherever they please. Almost as if Mother Earth was meant to be a big dustbin, not our home that deserves reverence.
Some lesser-known beaches such as Querim, Mandrem and a few in South Goa are relatively cleaner but are also increasingly under siege.
Ultimately, Goa is a victim of its own popularity. It attracts local tourists in droves. Tourists that are only interested in shopping, drag races, cheap thrills such as paragliding and, of course, wine and gambling.
What most tourists completely miss is that Goa is a biodiversity hotspot, with many species of plants, birds and animals that are endemic to Goa and the Western Ghats.
What Goa really needed was tourism with a sensitive and sensible approach towards its ecosystem, not of the mindless kind that systematically destroys it. Mangroves and forested areas are rapidly being replaced by ugly shops and apartment buildings to house insensitive tourists.
Ultimately, in India, environmental needs will succumb to the greed of commerce, and Goa is no exception.
No action for failure…
While the State government is paying huge sums to the contractor there has been no accountability. No action has been initiated against the contractor for failure to clean beaches.
If one goes to beaches like Calangute and Baga, they are littered with empty beer, and water bottles, which make walking on the beach bearfooted dangerous.
Interestingly, recently the Goa Assembly had hotly debated on “Polluter pays’ concept so that the glass bottle beer maker pays for pollution but nothing concrete has emerged in that direction.
The new beach cleaning tender
In an attempt to keep Goa’s coastline spotless and hygienic, the state government decided to spend a whopping sum of over `90 crore for cleaning 50 beach stretches for the next five years.
The tourism department has initiated the process of roping in a new agency to provide comprehensive services for cleaning the beaches. The services will cover collection, segregation, transportation, and disposal of garbage.
The selected agency will have to carry out beach cleaning from 8.30 am to 12.30 pm and from 2 pm to 6 pm. It will have to do scientific planning, supply and deploy the requisite workforce, machinery, supervisory staff etc. as needed to keep the beach clean and hygienic.
Huge amounts paid to contarctor
A whopping Rs 26.10 has been paid by the Goa Tourism Department for Beach cleaning to the two contractors.
Ina written reply to Calangute MLA Michael Lobo, Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte said that M/s Drishti Lifesaving Pvt. Ltd. was paid Rs.4,31,44,823/- for services from 01/04/2019 to 30/09/2019 and M/s Karnataka Commercial and Industrial Corporation Pvt. Ltd. was paid Rs.21,78,60,000/- for the duration from 01/10/2019 to 30/02/2022.
Khaunte said the Department has appointed M/s Karnataka Commercial and Industrial Corporation Pvt. Ltd. Bangalore to provide beach cleaning services on the nominated beach stretches in the State of Goa w.e.f. 01/10/2019
