TEAM HERALD
TIVIM: It was an unusual sight at Junes Wado in Mandrem on Saturday, as a large number of foreign tourists from different countries, equipped with brooms and garbage bags, embarked on a cleanliness drive in the area.
A group of about 50 foreigners from France, Germany, UK, USA, Canada, South Africa, Italy and Russia went to Junes Wado at about 7.30 am and were seen busy sweeping and cleaning the roads of Mandrem throughout the day, as they collected garbage strewn all over the area.
The local panchayat members did not show up to extend their support to the initiative, while some locals joined in the cleanliness drive.
“Everyday, we have been collecting garbage on the beach. But this time, we along with our friends from different countries decided to clean the streets, as garbage has increased and the roads are littered with garbage. No authority is ready to take the responsibility to clean the garbage,” said Sue Pendalbray, a Britisher who was involved in the drive.
“The panchayat is the local body and they too are not bothered about the garbage on the road. People just burn the plastic garbage and this is an unhealthy practice.
For people living in the hotels, the staff will take care of the garbage. But what about those people who live outside the hotels?”
“We tourists come to Goa and the government earns a lot from tourism. So, why can’t some of the fund be allotted to clean the garbage in Mandrem?” asked Pendalbray.
Said another volunteer, Rebeca Ailsenburg from the USA, “We were cleaning the garbage when somebody told us to take all the garbage and dump it in the panchayat office, as it would be a wake up call for them.”
“We come to Goa to enjoy our stay here, we can’t live here in the midst of garbage and hence, we decided to clean the road. There has to be some authority to take the responsibility of the garbage mess at Mandrem. There is no garbage bins in the area, so where do the people dump their garbage?” asked Ailsenburg
Incidentally, David Cleaver, a British national who is an environmentalist and social activist told Herald that he had written to the sarpanch and the secretary of Mandrem panchayat on March 10, highlighting the “appalling state of cleanliness of the roads in the village.”
“It is the responsibility of the Panchayat to ensure that the streets are kept clean. I realise that the garbage problem is due to a small minority of individuals or organizations, who are too stupid to realise that their tourism-related ventures will surely be affected by their selfish activities.”
Cleaver had asked the panchayat to respond to his request. “If no improvement in the area is seen within the next month, then my next letter will not simply be a request for action, but a letter of complaint to the Director of Panchayats,” Cleaver told Herald.
“In the UK, US and other countries, there is a strict fine of a minimum $500 to $1000 for any individual littering a public place. Thailand is also a developing country like India, but Thailand does not face garbage issues so why is India full of garbage?,” asked Cleaver.
