The free shuttle bus service was flagged off in the presence of Calangute Deputy Sarpanch Vinayak Subhash Salgaonkar, panchas and villagers. The project involving cost of about Rs 12 lakh has been sponsored by a hotelier. The Calangute Panchayat however will have to bear the cost of maintenance including driver’s salary, fuel, etc.
Speaking on the occasion, Joseph Sequeira said: “We have been observing the difficulties faced by the tourists, especially students arriving in huge buses as they had to walk a long distance to go to the beach.”
“We also deliberated on how to control the movement of huge buses in the village and thought of the stopover by the buses at the parking lot, which could ease congestion of roads, especially during peak season.”
“We will be providing four mobile toilets at the parking lot to maintain cleanliness at the site. Though we have provided the shuttle bus service free as of now, we may levy a nominal charge in the near future,” added Sequeira.
“We are also providing a cold storage facility for the benefit of our fishing community members at the renovated Calangute fish market to maintain cleanliness at the market site. We hope to serve the villagers better and provide the tourists required infrastructure,” said Sequeira.
Welcoming the initiative of the Calangute Panchayat, Fr D’silva said: “It is a good development by Sequeira and his team especially the launch of free shuttle bus service to benefit the tourists visiting Calangute. I would however appreciate if they make a small levy to recover the costs and related expenses in the near future.”
Earlier, Vinayak Salgaonkar welcomed the gathering and explained the purpose of launching such a project. The free shuttle bus service has been launched to enable tourists to move in buses and enjoy their stay in Calangute instead of long walk to the beach. The shuttle service will also ease congestion of roads, as tourists buses will be parked in the parking lot.
