PANAJI
Replying to the demands for grants for the sports department, Ajgaonkar admitted that construction of these facilities were held up because there was opposition within the village for constructing such facilities.
Earlier in the day, several legislators rued the fact that Goa despite being an internationally renowned tourism destination lacked basic facilities such as these.
"It is indeed shameful that tourist and bathers especially women have to use either the bushes to change or to use huts of fishermen to change," Cortalim MLA Alina Saldanha said.
Several other legislators especially those from the coastal belt spoke of how the promise is pending since 2012 and since then not much has moved on this front.
Babu in his reply also promised to do justice to his tourism portfolio. He spoke at length on issues like the profitability of the GTDC tourist residencies as well as others which were loss making as well as the upcoming tourism policy, master plan and an effort to ensure that the tourists feel safe in the state.
"I have asked the police to take strict action against those taking the law into their own hands. We will keep tourists safe. A message needs to go that Goa is a safe destination," Ajgaonkar said responding to opposition members' concerns that tourists were being attacked in the state.
On the concern raised by Churchill Alemão that shack licences were being given very late into the tourism season, Ajgaonkar said that the shack licences have been given for a period of three years and this year and the next they can set up the shacks no sooner the season begins.
Ajgaonkar also spoke about the initiatives to keep beaches clean by reporting about garbage on whatsapp.
"We have drawn up a tender and we have taken care not to repeat the mistakes of the past. They (previous agencies) have gone to court. We need your (other MLAs) support. We need the beaches clean. We have a system of whatsapp reporting
where someone sees garbage on the beaches they can
click a photo and whatsapp on a given number," Ajgaonkar said.
