As waste piles on beaches, government scrambles for solution

PANAJI: Caught in a fix with the peak tourist season drawing closer and Drishti Lifesaving stopping its beach cleaning service, the state government is trying to make temporary arrangements to keep the coastline clean.
The agency discontinued its service on Monday.
Tourism minister Manohar Azgaonkar on Wednesday said he had called for a meeting of officers to discuss the issue. “The tourism department and Goa Tourism Development Corporation are working together on how best to have an arrangement in place to tackle the situation,” Azgaonkar said.
“Keeping the beaches clean is my priority.We wanted Dristhi to continue for 1.5 months, but it didn’t happen. It’s a challenge for us to work out a system to maintain cleanliness on beaches,” he told TOI. The tendering process and selection of a new agency will take around 1.5 months, he added.
General secretary of Goa Shack Owners Welfare Society, John Lobo, placed the blame on the state government for beaches remaining dirty. “The tender should have been floated three months before the start of the tourism season,” he said, adding, “You cannot promote tourism all over the world and keep the beaches dirty.”
Calangute MLA Michael Lobo, in his personal capacity, has requested an agency to provide beach-cleaning service for the Baga-Sinquerim coastal stretch.
Drishti Lifesaving said it had informed the tourism department that its cleaning service agreement was coming to an several days ago. “We received no further intimation from the department in this matter,” Drishti said.