the goan I network
PORVORIM
Think Goa, think beaches, right? But think Nerul beach and find only stink.
This is the sad plight confronting bewildered tourists visiting the Coco beach at Nerul, a coastline largely abandoned by authorities and a far cry from the famed beaches of Candolim, Calangute and Baga barely a few kilometres away.
While a steady flow of foreign and Indian tourists visit Candolim, Calangute and Baga beaches even during the monsoons, the Coco Beach at Nerul has worn a desolate look.
The very few tourists who happen to find their way to Coco beach are usually shocked to find all kinds of waste “ plastic bags, husks of tender coconuts, empty mineral water and beer bottles “ strewn all over the beach.
A visit to Coco beach revealed a virtually abandoned coastline, which has been ignored and neglected by the tourism department for a long time.
Access to Coco beach is itself the first of many problems.
The road leading towards Coco beach is so narrow that only one car can pass at a time. The narrow road is also filled with potholes, making driving a challenging task.
Taking note of problems pertaining to road access, Rural Development Agency Minister and local MLA Jayesh Salgaonkar had begun work to widen the road in the presence of locals and Nerul panchayat members in the first week of May 2018.
At the time, Salgaonkar had said the PWD would widen the road by 1.5 metres and would also construct a protection wall at a cost of Rs 80 lakh, but there has been no progress in this regard.
Lamenting over the conditions at Coco beach, the owner of a Bar and Restaurant at the beach told The Goan that Coco beach always wears a deserted look during monsoons.
“We hardly get any customers. In the absence of proper infrastructure at the beach, tourists are reluctant to visit this beach and instead, prefer to go to nearby beaches at Sinquerim, Candolim, Calangute and Baga,”he said.
“The tourism department has done nothing to attract tourists to this beach all these years. Tourism Minister Manohar Azgaonkar along with RDA Minister and local MLA Jayesh Salgaonkar had visited this beach few months ago and he had directed tourism officials to improve infrastructure. But nothing has been done till now,” said the restauranteur.
“If the beautification of this beach is undertaken, tourists will start visiting Coco beach and our business surely improve,” he added.
