CMC chief uses own funds to repair high-mast lamp

HERALD CORRESPONDENT

CANACONA: Frustrated with the tourism department’s lethargy, Canacona Municipal Council Chairperson Simon Rebello decided to spend his own resources to repair the out-of-order high-mast lamp at the main entrance of Palolem beach.

The lamp, meant to illuminate the entire beach, was out of order for most of the tourism season. Presently, a few floodlights are temporarily put up to keep the beach lit.

“Tourists visiting Palolem can’t be put to risk throughout due to the lethargic attitude of the tourism department. We cannot wait (endlessly) for the department to depute their technicians to repair the lamp. We had sent several reminders through the municipality as well, but to no avail. Finally, as CMC is already finance-crunched, I am using my own resources to get the high mast lamp repaired,” said Rebello.

When asked about why he was repairing the lamp when the tourism season was nearly over, he replied that Palolem was not visited only seasonally. Instead, people flock to the beach and even stay through the night. As such, a functional high-mast lamp was required even now.