Poles pose serious safety threat to tourists, visitors, and locals
Corroded electric and decorative poles are falling at the Colva beach square for want of replacement.
Photo Credits: Santosh Mirajkar
MARGAO
Strange it may seem that when the Tourism Minister has mulled a host of projects at the iconic Colva beach under Swadesh Darshan scheme 2.0, decorative poles and streetlight poles installed at the beach square under the same scheme around three years ago are falling like hair pins.
Reason: The electric and decorative poles, which have been dotting the beach square, are in a corroded state, posing danger to tourists, visitors and locals as well at the world famous beach.
What has left residents of Colva agitated is the delay over the removal of the corroded poles and replacing them with new poles.
Inquiries have only revealed that the Power Department had dashed off a letter to the Chairman, Goa Tourism Development Corp Ltd over a year ago with a plea to either set right or replace all the existing streetlight poles with lamps at Colva Beach.
In the letter, the Executive Engineer, Power Department had pointed out that the decorative poles and other streetlight poles at the Colva Beach installed by GTDC are totally corroded and have started collapsing. “Various incidents of falling of dome of the decorative lamps, collapsed LV panel and decorative streetlight poles have been reported in the local dailies as well as by the locals. The high mast at Colva Beach is also in a dilapidated condition,” the letter stated.
The department requested the Chairman, GTDC to undertake complete renovation/ replacement of the existing streetlight poles/ fixtures, high masts, etc on top priority to avoid any untoward incident as the location is one of the prime tourist spot and is generally crowded.
The letter added: “Kindly note that it will be the sole responsibility of GTDC for any untoward incident happening on the account of existing corroded /dilapidated streetlight poles/ fixtures/ lamps/ high masts as the same are yet to be taken over by the Goa Electricity Department (GED) and GED in no way will be responsible for the same.”
Local residents of Colva, however, said there’s no change in the ground reality till date. A resident Simon Rodrigues told the media on Saturday that corroded street light poles are falling down at the beach square, posing danger to the visitors. “The government takes pride in saying Colva is an iconic beach. But, why they are not replacing the corroded lamps, which has been dangerously standing at the beach square since the last three years,” Simon asserted.
Colva Sarpanch Suzie Fernandes said the matter falls in the domain of the Goa Tourism Development Corporation, adding that the Panchayat had in the past written to the GTDC to replace the poles to avoid any untoward incident.
Incidentally, The Goan had highlighted in mid-June 2026 how the domes of the decorative lamps installed at the Colva beach square are falling down and posing danger to the visitors.
