TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: The Tourism department claims it received a positive response to its beach facilities tenders for setting up changing rooms, toilets and locker facilities on all 37 beaches in Goa.
“We have received a good response to the bids invited earlier this year,” the official said, adding that as many as five to six agencies have applied.
Calangute, presently is the only beach in North Goa which has such facilities in place and Colva is likely to be the first beach in South Goa to have such facilities envisaged in the Colva beautification plan.
The government is currently on an upbeat mode as it claims that infrastructure facilities being provided to tourists are giving the much need boost to tourism.
The Economic Survey claims that all positive action taken in the last one year is producing results, pointing to the 12 per cent increase in tourist flow to the State in 2013 compared to 2012 which it also adds is the highest year on year growth recorded by any State in the country.
Once the tourism board is formed, the survey claims that that tourism infrastructure and tourism marketing would get a huge boost. This is part of the exercise to formulate the tourism master plan, tourism policy and tourism promotion board.
Meanwhile, the proposal for implementing beach cleaning along the entire beach belt has been delayed as the Finance department has sought certain clarifications on the issue. Officials deny moves to scrap the tenders adding that the government is still in the process of verifying the mechanisms proposed to be introduced for cleaning the beach belt using machines.
