Team Herald
PANJIM: Ambitious infrastructure development projects along the coastal belt under the Central Government’s Swadesh Darshan scheme will be completed within a year. In the first phase of the Coastal Circuit Development Plan, the beaches from North Goa will be completed within six months, and the South Goa beaches will be taken up in the second phase.
A high level meeting chaired by Tourism Minister Manohar Azgaonkar comprising MLAs from coastal talukas and village panchayats, was held on Monday to discuss infrastructure projects to be taken up along the beaches under the Coastal Circuit Development Plan.
“Goa Tourism has received Rs 200 crore (Rs 100 crore in the first phase and Rs 100 crore in the second phase) from the Central government under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme for setting up tourism infrastructure. It is important that we utilise the money and complete the projects expeditiously,” Azgaonkar said after the meeting. He said that funds will have to be returned if the government fails to utilise then within the time frame.
The minister said that during the meeting he called on panchayats to identify land, furnish NOCs and obtain clearances to initiate the projects so as to avoid hurdles that will lead to delays in the execution and completion of works.
Site inspections to identify areas for setting up toilets, changing rooms, locker facilities on the beaches will begin on Tuesday and will be completed by September 20. “Tourism department is working in the interest of boosting the profile of the coastal areas cutting across party lines,” he said.
GTDC chairman Nilesh Cabral appealed to stakeholders to co-operate with the department in augmenting tourism infrastructure in coastal areas.
Present at the meeting were Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho, Housing Minister Jayesh Salgaocar, Opposition Leader Chandrakant Kavlekar, MLAs Alina Saldanha, Wilfred D’Sa, Francis Silveira, Dayanand Sopte with their respective panchayat sarpanchas and members.
