I can easily recall this state of Goa being remote as every summer vacation I use to visit my native, West Bengal and had to change trains and flights to reach my destination.
This remote accessibility, I now realize, was a boon, as it kept Goa pristine and its beauty intact. As we developed our routes to Goa, my family and I did rejoice initially as we could now easily access West Bengal for our summer vacation and save time and money on the journey. But soon we realised that it only made Goa vulnerable, as it opened it up to be a cheap holiday destination that Indians across the globe could easily access this beautiful place.
Yes, it did mushroom our tourism industry but it did more damage to the essence of Goa. Shortly after the said mushrooming of our tourism industry we noticed a plummet in international tourists and an increase in local tourism which piped down the expensive foreign exchange.
There are several reasons for the decline of international tourism which I have read and observed over the years. Some of them are the indisciplined local tourists who pry and ogle at these foreign visitors hence making their stay uncomfortable; the lack of cleanliness and the changing landscape of Goa from being a clean, peaceful and nature dominated holiday destination to gradually becoming over populated, unclean and polluted.
On this Independence Day I was wandering out with my friends and had the opportunity to visit Dona Paula after several years. My visit was a prick in the heart seeing the saddened state of the point. The view at one side of the walk is completely obstructed with small vendors selling clothes and consumables in small shelters covered in blue tarpaulins which make the place look hideous.
Secondly there aren’t adequate provisions for people to dispose of the waste and hence all waste items have been dumped in the sea which in-turn has deposited these back on to the rocky shore and has made the appearance of this place dull and dirty.
Also I noticed the beaches in Goa are littered with shards of broken glasses which are very difficult to sieve and can cause serious injuries to people enjoying the sands barefoot.
Another such pathetic state of untidy living is witnessed in the annual fare of Damodar Saptaah Utsav held at Vasco Da Gama. With no provision for disposal of waste and the reluctance and lack of affection of the vendors, they have fearlessly littered entire of the beautiful Swatantrya Path and other adjoining lanes.
Goa and its beauty can only be saved by our people and government. It requires strict disciplinarian laws banning littering and hefty penalty for such an offence.
Small vendors should be relocated at a different location as their crowding the jetty walkway hinters its beauty, obstructs scenic beauty and makes it more exposed to litter. Also provision of proper garbage bins and garbage collection by collecting an entry fees can be easily achieved.
