Dy collector asks Tourism Dept to clean up tar balls
HERALD REPORTER
MARGAO, SEPT 17
With the tar ball menace continues to haunt Salcete’s coastline between Colva and Betalbatim, Deputy Collector, Margao Johnson Fernandes on Friday dashed off a letter to the Tourism Department to ensure that the beach stretch is free from the tar ball menace.
Incidentally, the deputy collector has claimed that the Tourism Department has already deployed manpower to collect the tar balls from the Gandaulim-Betalbatim beach stretch.
The letter from the Sub-divisional Magistrate to the Tourism Depat assumes significance in view of the fact that a large number of tar balls were seen washed ashore the beach stretch these days.
When the attention of the deputy collector was drawn to the fact that the collected tar balls continue to lie on the shoreline, he said the priority was to first clean up the beach stretch and then lift away and dispose off the material in a scientific manner.
Replying to a question, he said his office can take over the beach cleaning operations under the disaster management only in the event the Tourism Department expresses its inability to manage the same.
“We are not averse to deploy our manpower to clean up the beach stretch. But, the Tourism Department should communicate to us stating its inability to carry out the work,” he added.
Meanwhile, labourers deployed by the Tourism Dept were seen on the Salcete beach belt clearing the tar balls washed ashore in the last 24 hours.
