Plight of beaches in Goa
Recently, the condition of the beaches across Goa has caused many a tourist to shy away due to litter being strewn all over. The reason being the cancelling of the Beach Cleaning contract by the government a few months back.
Pride of many-a-goan and famous worldwide are the beautiful beaches of Goa. Tourists mainly frequent Goa for the sun and beautiful, golden, white sandy beaches.
Tourism Department Responsible?
The Tourism Department, shouldered with the responsibility of ensuring clean beaches in Goa, have no concrete decision till date.
As a result, the beaches are in bad shape with garbage lying all over the shores. A report in Herald recently confirmed the same about Coco beach. A beautiful and pristine stretch of beach lying on the estuary of the Mandovi river in the village of Nerul. Coco beach, almost unheard of by tourists at one point of time, has recently been exploited. Becoming a venue for boat-tour operators, clothing vendors and food stalls with huge amounts of garbage being generated daily.
Lifesaving Services to monitor garbage on beaches
Recently the government has given the contract of beach cleaning, ‘temporarily’ to Drishti Lifesaving Services (DLS) Private Limited. The very same lifeguard services that have successfully been operating to save lives on the beaches of Goa. They ‘took up the responsibility of cleaning beaches at the behest of the tourism department about a fortnight ago.’
“As many as 222 labourers —110 in North Goa and 112 in South Goa — are employed on a daily basis to clean the beaches. Workers are given gloves, masks and safety jackets, explained DLS managing director Ankit Somani.”
“Our men constantly monitor the beaches. Besides, if our lifeguards spot anyone throwing waste on the beach, they ask them not to do so and show them the dustbin,” Ankit Somani, MD of Drishti said.
Involvement of Goan Youth
Earlier Nilesh Cabral, Chairman of Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) revealed a plan to involve Goan youth for beach cleaning. “I want to see how the plan works for a year,” Cabral said in a TOI report a few months back.
The thoughts foremost on my mind are:-
1. “If lifeguards are going to monitor tourists littering beaches, who will monitor the swimmers at sea?” and
2. “Goan beaches, famous the world-over, if neglected, will be damaged irreparably in terms of tourism and the environment”
