If you are heading towards Margao along the Margao-Panjim highway you will see the area in front of the District Collectorate beautified. If you proceed further, around Comba or Borda, you will be pleasantly surprised to find colourful artworks staring back at you or houses alongside a road painted aesthetically.
For those wondering, and many who pass through these roads have been so wondering, there is a group of artists behind this movement that has given Margao a new look, a cleaner look and made the town more visually appealing. It helps that there are heritage structures in the town, and a walk through Comba behind the civil court makes one feel that this is indeed a heritage zone and not a rundown area.
The group behind this is ‘Clean Margao, Green Margao’ and they have been working through the year to spruce up Margao and give the locals and tourists another reason to remember the town. The citizen movement had been launched at the start of the year and as the year nears its end, the results are definitely showing.With the aim of tackling issues plaguing the commercial capital, the group, initiated by film director Rajendra Talak and other Madgaocars, had promised to undertake works in all municipal wards, including cleanliness, spreading awareness on waste segregation, erecting gantries at all the seven entry points to the town without any commercial advertisements. The gantry points are the Collector building, Colva road, Pepsi factory, Curtorim road near Chowgule college, Rawanfond, Navelim Road and Khareband Benaulim Road.
As a first measure, the group had taken up work in the then municipal wards 10 and 11. “It is not just a campaign but an awakening and coming together to develop our own town of Margao and to make it the clean and green town of Goa. Many Madgaocars have joined this initiative selflessly and are also supporting the cause through moral and financial contributions,” said Talak.
Talak had clarified that they’re neither an NGO, nor are dependent on government funding, nor are allied to any political group and do not have a bank account.
On the issue of funding, Talak had stated that residents of Margao are free to join the cause in the interest of the town and they expect every Madgaocar to join the cause and bear the expenditure directly for the betterment of the city.
Phase I of the campaign was undertaken at Borda near Sincro House (totally financed by Sincro family) and continued at Comba ward, near Holy Spirit Church and SGPDA.
Beautification of the area in front of the Collecotrate building has also been completed giving it a ‘green’ look as they have planted trees near the Collectorate building and developed the landscape among other such works.Along with making the town green, they are also looking at creating awareness about garbage and toilet issues, by understanding the basic problems through a door-to-door campaign.
The SGPDA market beautification, parking problems, signal installation at old market circle and other locations are also part of their action plan.
“‘Clean Margao, Green Margao’ work is now on and the SGPDA market beautification work has already been taken up. Please visit vegetable market, entry from Ravindra Bhavan roadside,” said members of the group.
Other areas where work is underway is near the Colaco House near Holy Spirit Church, Comba Near Mahila Nutan High School and Vitthal Mandir. The wall in Comba is being painted by enthusiastic and talented artists, members of the group said.“Let’s all join to make this a revolution,” added Talak.
