While Calangute Panchayat’s de facto leader Joseph Sequeira was quick to blame the tourism department for the mess, Calangute MLA Michael Lobo claimed that the garbage contractor appointed by the tourism department was helpless in the absence of space allotted to dump the garbage.
A large number of garbage bags have piled up near the Calangute Beach Promenade and at the side entrance to Calangute beach and the stench deterred tourists from passing by the area.
Incidentally, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Tuesday night had advised authorities to maintain cleanliness of the GTDC hotel and its surroundings, to attract more tourists to visit Calangute beach.
A businessman from the area has now written to the tourism department, Calangute Panchayat and other government authorities over the heaps of garbage dumped at the site.
When contacted, Lobo pointed out that the garbage contractor could not be held responsible for the mess around the beach promenade.
“Though the tourism department has awarded the contract of lifting garbage to a contractor for Rs 14 crore, they have not allotted any space or land to dump and segregate the garbage from the shacks, etc.”
“In the absence of a dumping plot, the contractor is unable to lift the garbage from the beach shacks. We cannot blame the contractor for this mess, as the government is expected to provide a garbage dump yard for the tourism department’s contractor,” said Lobo
“I have already taken up the matter with Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and a file has been moved to allot 4000 sq mtrs of land from the land acquired from Calangute Comunidade atop the Saligao plateau. The formalities are underway and till then, the Calangute Panchayat is duty bound to lift the garbage from the shacks, as the shack owners are residents of Calangute,” the MLA added.
When contacted, Sequeira ruled out any involvement of Calangute panchayat in the removal of garbage.
Displaying a letter from the tourism department, Sequeira said: “How can the Calangute Panchayat remove garbage from the beach shacks? The tourism department has clearly directed the Calangute Panchayat not to lift the garbage or waste from shacks as they have entrusted a contractor to do the job.”
“We were earlier collecting garbage as shack owners are our own residents, but we had to stop our activity on the basis of a letter from the tourism dept. It is not right to blame the Calangute panchayat for the wrongdoing of some other authority,” said Sequeira.
