CANACONA: Canacona Municipal Council (CMC) area now possesses a new look, as residents took the lead and provided perfect ‘swachh’ movement in getting rid of strewn garbage.
Residents and visitors can finally heave a sigh of relief, after a fortnight-long cleanliness drive, initiated by a couple of residents, restored the natural beauty again. Most municipal areas and roadsides, which in the past were seen severely infested with strewn garbage, now possess a new look, giving hope that garbage menace can be tackled and cleanliness can be maintained with self initiatives.
It may be recalled that residents had blamed municipal workers for their alleged failure to collect garbage regularly and properly, leaving stench and filth around, while entrepreneurs in the tourism trade also came in for sharp criticism that they were responsible for creating garbage nuisance in the locality by dumping waste by the way side.
While many watched helplessly the deteriorating garbage imbroglio, at-least two tourism entrepreneurs from Palolem, with their staff and others, began to pick up strewn garbage and plastic from the roadsides and clean garbage-prone pockets.
However, it was noticed that wayward dumping continued and while the areas were cleaned, the same points were found again infested with garbage.
The cleaning drive was continued and soon CMC, which faced destruction of their garbage treatment plant at Dumane in a fire, provided logistic support to the privately managed cleaning drive. One of the worst garbage infested area on Devabhaga-Gulem internal road, which used to provide very ugly sight to tourists arriving in Canacona, now provides a clean sight to the visitors.
The banner used by the privately operating garbage cleaning crusaders is ‘Canconcho Mogi’ with an appeal for Swach Cancon-Sunder Cancon’ requesting people to refrain from wayward waste dumping practices.
The crusaders with the help extended by CMC Chairperson Simon Rebello have now put up garbage bins in such a way that they will not fall on their sides and leave the garbage strewn around.
Placards in English and Devnagiri Konkani have been put at places inhabited by people.
“Will the new look stay for long?” is the pertinent question being posed by many visitors.
“It all depends how the residents and especially people involved in reckless and wayward garbage dumping habits change their attitude,” said Chairperson Rebello, when informed about the people’s aspersions.
Interestingly, locals have given credit for the new look to Jack Fernandes, John (Karen) among few others for having taken the lead in initiating the cleanliness drive.
