PANJIM: About 17 months after Drishti Marine came to the rescue of the then government on beach cleanliness, the agency is apparently in a financial strain as it has not been paid for around four months, giving rise to the apprehension that garbage collection from the beaches may come to an abrupt end.

The agency was roped in, on a temporary basis, to clear the garbage from the beaches, after the State government cancelled the beach cleaning contract with the previous agencies following violations of contract terms and allegations of a scam.

A source stated that the agency is under a financial strain as the government has failed to make the payment for the last four months. A source said, “Upon a request from the State government, the agency was handling the beach cleaning on a temporary basis to support the effort of the government. The delay in payments has led to a financial strain on the company and also restricts the ability to effectively and efficiently conduct beach cleaning services as resources are stretched to the maximum.”

In what could lead to a heavy burden on the government, the source claimed that the situation is such the agency may have no choice but to stop collecting garbage from the beaches. 

Drishti Marine had offered its assistance and mobilised manpower and equipment for clearing garbage from the beaches of Goa. It has an existing framework which includes infrastructure and management capability to effectively carry out the exercise. As on date, the agency has employed over 350 persons to clear garbage from the beaches.

Since December 17, 2016, when Drishti took up the task, the agency has collected and transported over 10 lakh kg of garbage from along the State’s coast and cleaned the beaches. The garbage collected is transported to the Waste Management unit at Saligao.