STHRIGDHARA NAIK
sthrigdhara@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: Although it has been shut for members of the general public almost four and a half years ago, the iconic jetty at Dona Paula is fast turning into a dumpyard of sorts, with heaps of debris piled in one area, a carpet of broken alcohol glass bottles near the legendary statue on its cliff, and a newly constructed pillar destroyed by unidentified individuals.
The jetty has been partially repaired under the central government’s SwadeshDarshan scheme at an approximate cost of Rs 12 crore, while work on a section of it has been kept on hold due to a paucity of funds. But that has not stopped miscreants from trespassing into the jetty by nightfall to party and binge on alcohol, leaving a trail of garbage and destruction in their wake.
“Unfortunately, our people don’t have basic civic sense to protect our own infrastructure,” tourism department director Nikhil Desai said.
Concy Cabral, a cloth vendor selling her goods at the jetty, attributed the problem to improper vigilance and lack of planning by the government. “At night, miscreants clandestinely enter the jetty without permission and party the whole night in the vicinity of the statue,” she said.
Tourists, meanwhile, are turned back by security personnel posted at the site due to the pending repairs. SandeshBabu, a visitor from Kerala is among them. “One of the destinations we wanted to visit was the Dona Paula jetty, but the security personnel stopped us at the entrance stating that work is in progress,” said Babu.
“We were expecting to take photos next to the legendary statue,” said another tourist, Gopal Kumar from Delhi, “but when we got here over the weekend, we were denied entry.”
Desai said the jetty will be tentatively commissioned by October this year, soon after a tender for operation and maintenance is floated.
“Once an agency is engaged for operation, maintenance and security of this jetty, everything will fall in place,” he said.
