MARGAO
Union Tourism Minister, G Kishan Reddy, on Saturday inaugurated tourist amenities at the Colva beach, but felt a lot more could have been put in place at the world famous location with the kind of funds spent on the project.
Reddy was taken aback when he heard the amount spent to build a new toilet block and a tourist facilitation centre, and was overheard telling officials that the funds could have been spent judiciously, more so when Colva beach is gifted with spacious land.
Benaulim MLA Churchill Alemao also told the Union Minister that the consultants never took him (constituency representative) and other local stakeholders into confidence when planning and executing the works.
When an official pointed out that it has cost the government around Rs 3.5 crore to set up the Tourist Facilitation Centre and an adjoining toilet block, Reddy was completely taken aback, saying the funds could have been used to provide more facilities.
The Union Minister, however, parried questions of scribes when asked to elaborate why he felt there was wastage of funds on the facilitation centre and the toilet block.
He also parried questions when asked to shed light on local MLA Churchill Alemao’s claim that the consultant did not speak to the local stakeholders.
Goa Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar, however, maintained that the Union Minister did not say there was wastage of funds, adding that Reddy only said that many more facilities could have been provided at the Colva beach.
The Union Minister launched the amenities at Colva and Benaulim in the presence of Union Minister of State for Tourism Shripad Naik, Goa Tourism Minister, Manohar Ajgaonkar, GTDC Chairman Dayanand Sopte, Benaulim MLA Churchill Alemao and others.
In his address, Tourism Minister Ajgaonkar pointed out that his dream of providing world-class facilities such as changing rooms, toilets and parking amenities at Colva and adjoining Benaulim beaches has been fulfilled with the inauguration of the project under the centrally-sponsored Swadesh Darshan Scheme.
“Rich tourists were turning away from our beaches for lack of toilets, changing rooms and parking facilities. We have now developed these amenities and I am confident that the infrastructure would bring more tourists to Goa in the coming years,” he added.
Saying that a whopping 1.25 crore tourists had visited the state, Ajgaonkar said the BJP government is committed to promoting tourism in a big way to get rich tourists into the state.
Amenities inaugurated by the Union Minister at Colva include changing rooms, toilet block, parking for buses cars, two-wheelers and autorickshaws. The minister also inaugurated children’s play equipment at the Colva beach.
At the adjoining Benaulim beach, a parking lot for 200 cars and 100 two-wheelers, besides changing rooms and toilet block were inaugurated at the hands of the minister.
