CALANGUTE: A deadlock continues to prevail over removal of garbage from beach shacks at Calangute, with the Calangute Panchayat refusing to collect garbage following directives from the tourism department and the Calangute MLA Michael Lobo insisting that the local body is duty-bound to remove the garbage.
Briefing media persons in the presence of Calangute Sarpanch Pascoala Fernandes and other panchas, Joseph Sequeira said, “Though the Tourism department failed to pay us for removal of garbage from shacks earlier, we are willing to remove the garbage generated from shacks, free of cost, provided the Tourism department issues a letter asking us to remove garbage from shacks.”
“The shack owners are our own villagers, but we cannot remove their garbage since we received a letter from the Tourism department not to lift the garbage. The contractor appointed by the tourism department does not have a plot for the purpose and has been dumping garbage atop Saligao plateau. We have written to the Goa State Pollution Control Board and Calangute Police over dumping of garbage as the contractor does not have a site to either segregate or treat the waste,” he said.
“Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar and Saligao MLA had earlier opposed the dumping site citing pollution of the Salmona spring. However, he is surprisingly quiet knowing very well that the contractor appointed by the Tourism department does not treat the garbage,” stated Sequeira.
“Calangute MLA Michael Lobo does not know the ground reality, but only makes statements. Calangute Panchayat has been directed by the High Court to continue dumping at the present site till alternate site is made available and nobody can stop the local body from treating garbage collected systematically by the contractor.”
“We are however ever willing to remove garbage from shacks and that too free of cost, but the Tourism department should issue us a letter directing us to remove the garbage from shacks,” he said.
When contacted, Lobo said Calangute Panchayat was duty-bound to remove the garbage from beach shacks.
“The Calangute panchayat should not play politics over the issue. The panchayat had been removing the garbage from shacks earlier in the absence of a tourism contractor, so they should do it now and avoid the mess,” he said.
