While patting himself and the BJP government on the back by listing out their achievements with respect to the growth in tourism in Goa, State Tourism Minister, Dilip Parulekar on Monday, promised the people of Goa that he would install the necessary tourist infrastructure at Baina beach in Vasco so as to bring it on par with the likes of Calangute and Baga beach in North Goa.
However, people of the port town are still uncertain over whether this was just another in a bunch of yarns spun by the government or if they will actually see some concrete action being taken in the name of development.
The main reason casting doubts in the minds of citizens is the fact that in the past, the foundation stone for the first phase of beautification of Baina was laid, but following that, they are yet to see anything being done about it. Additionally, the stretch of the beach which will be taken up for beautification by the tourism department in a project worth Rs 2 crore is the cleaner part of the beach. Emphasis however, has not been laid on the stretch facing total neglect, explained Mormugao Municipal Councillor, Murari Bandekar.
“I have absolutely no idea about what is going on in their minds. They showed us some plans but all of them were very confusing. As the ward councillor of Baina, I feel that they should have taken up the stretch from the sulabh toilet first as this area is very dirty and people cannot access the beach from this side,” said Bandekar.
He also went on to explain that the debris left behind after the demolition of 205 odd structures about five months ago at Baina is still lying on the shore of the beach and hence the area looks shabby. “If their intentions are good, they should take this matter up first and clear the debris lying on the shore. If this fails, we will be forced to agitate,” Bandekar told Herald.
Locals from the port town feel that the concerns raised by the ward councillor are genuine as recently some authorities attempted to clean the mess at the beach but left the work midway.
“The state administration showed no mercy towards the plight of residents and razed their structures citing CRZ violations and presented a beautification plan for Baina beach. However, the debris following the demolition was never cleared and as a result of this, the beach not only looks shabby but also puts locals and fishermen through a lot of hardship,” said Nitin Kadam, a resident of Vasco.
Another resident of the port town, P Amonkar said that he was surprised that nobody bothered about the condition of the beach. “When the state administration demolished 75 odd structures at Desterro in Baina, they even cleared the debris from the site but after the demolition of these 205 structures, no one bothered to touch even a single stone. This leads us to believe that the concerned officials are least bothered and are neglecting their responsibility to clear the site after the demolition and that their elaborate beautification plans were just an eye wash to cover up the mess created,” Amonkar said.
Citizens as well as councillors from the opposition camp in the MMC are demanding that the state administration make efforts to clear the debris along with the beautification project in order to provide immediate relief to the fishing community who operate from the said stretch of the beach and to locals who want to enjoy the peace and calm of the entire stretch of Baina beach and not just a part of it.
