Team Herald
CALANGUTE: Despite it being peak tourism season, the tourism department appointed beach cleaning contractor continues to be irregular in garbage collection, said shack owners in the Calangute-Candolim beach-belt.
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The Shack Owners Welfare Society (SOWS) in a recent letter to the tourism minister seeking his intervention, stated that “Despite our repeated requests, the contractor has failed to maintain a regular schedule for garbage collection, citing reasons such as vehicle breakdowns. This has led to an unsanitary environment on the beach which not only tarnishes the reputation of Goa as a prime tourist destination, but also poses serious health and environmental risks.
“As shack owners, we diligently ensure proper waste management practices within our premises but the lack of support from the contractor undermines our efforts. This situation requires immediate intervention to ensure the contractor fulfils his obligations consistently; establish contingency plans for such vehicle breakdowns to prevent service interruption, and impose strict accountability measures on the contractor to avoid recurring lapses,” said Cruz Cardozo, President of SOWS-Goa.
The shack owners, who diligently ensure proper waste management within their premises are seeking immediate intervention to resolve the issue.
The garbage issues are not new to the Calangute-Candolim beach belt. The palm fringed queen of beaches known for their golden sands attract hordes of tourists and the failure to manage waste can have negative impact on tourism and besides leading to environmental and health consequences affecting both the local residents and visitors.
“The environmental impact could cause severe harm to marine life and the overall ecosystem of the beaches,” lament shack owners.
