Tourists visiting Mangueshi Temple in Ponda Taluka have no toilet facilities and are compelled to use the open area to answer the nature’s call.

The famous temple, which falls in Priol Constituency, is visited by thousands of devotees from all over the state along with tourists from outside Goa also thronging to see the site. However, the temple lacks toilet facilities leaving the visitors inconvenienced.

When the government sets a target of attracting one crore tourists per year to the State of Goa, it, specially the Tourism Department, has also to see that facilities like toilets are in place to cater to the visitors, says a source. The famous Mangueshi Temple is one such tourist spot which lacks this basic human necessity despite the Tourism Department acquiring a 25,000 sq mts land. 

Many a time, the government gives non-availability of land as the main reason for not constructing toilets, but it has no excuse when it comes to Mangueshi since it has land in plenty. 

Since this is a Peak Tourist season a large number of devotees and guests from all over the world visit Mangueshi which has a reputation of being one of the best tourist and heritage spots in the world.

“Almost around 4,000 visitors come to our village every day; it pains us to see that these guests have no toilet facility and many of them are forced to pass urine and defecate in the open. We feel bad especially for women who are inconvenienced a lot while answering nature’s call by the side of tourist parking area which is in possession of Tourism Department. We have complained to Tourism Department and also Government but we only got empty promises,” said Veling Priol Kucoliem (VPK) Sarpanch Mangaldas Gaude.

“We are helpless and can’t undertake or construct toilet facilities for our guests as the said land is not in our possession. The Tourism Department neither builds toilet facilities nor gives us permission to construct these facilities. Adding to these woes, the garbage and food waste is dumped at the entrance of the temple which is an eyesore to the tourists as well as local shop owners.

“Many visitors post the uncleanliness, lack of toilet facilities on social media, which earns our village a bad name without any fault of ours,” says the sarpanch adding that “no one understands that the land at the tourist destination is owned by Tourism Department and it’s their responsibility.”

“Veling Priol Kuncoliem Panchayat had been demanding funds with the government for maintenance of the parking lot where mound of garbage is dumped by visitors. In absence of maintenance work this parking lot has turned into a dump for garbage and plastic waste. The panchayat collects the garbage as and when heaps turn into huge stacks but it is not possible for us to do this on a daily basis as no funds are provided for cleanliness of tourist place,” the sarpanch adds.

The Panchayat Body has demanded the Tourism Department to provide financial assistance in carrying out maintenance work of the parking place but has failed to evoke any response from them for the past several years. Locals say Tourism Department is bound to keep the parking area clean as well provide toilets and other facilities to tourists which has been completely neglected, thus leaving the panchayat to clean the leftover garbage.

The tourist hotel and dormitories are in a dilapidated state for the past two decades. No fresh attempt is also made despite several memorandums and reminders by panchayat to Tourism Department and government.

Sarpanch Mangaldas Gaude says the “panchayat cannot interfere or construct a toilet. But tourists and even some locals, not knowing the fact, often blame the panchayat for littering of garbage, food waste in parking area beside the open defecation.”

The local panch, Pandurang Gaude, has demanded that the government allows them to collect parking fees which they could use to keep the area clean.

“There is around 25 thousand sq.mtrs land acquired here some of which is utilised for parking and many of it is lying empty. The Tourism Department’s restaurant is also in a dilapidated state and Department has no time to look after it,” said Advocate Varad Mardolkar.