the goan I network
MAPUSA
Waste management minister Michael Lobo on Sunday said that it was the responsibility of the tourism department to ensure that beaches in Goa remain clean but his department will also monitor the beach cleaning activity in the State. “Tourism department has issued the tender for beach cleaning. They need to see that all beaches in Goa are clean. When they have taken the responsibility they have to fulfill it. But we will monitor it. Our department people will monitor the work,” Lobo told The Goan.
The Waste Management minister had shown interest in beach cleaning and had a couple of times run into the tourism minister Manohar (Babu) Ajgaonkar on
the issue.
Lobo reiterated that the solid waste management corporation will not compromise on its earlier stand and accept only waste in proper form from the beaches. “We will accept their waste in segregated form. At the same they need to see that no sand comes along with the waste. If segregated waste does not come, we will not accept it. Earlier too we were not accepting mixed waste,” he
said.
The minister said that his department officials will monitor the beaches and also offer them a helping hand. “We will come and explain to all shack owners on the beach how to segregate waste. They have to keep two bins for dry and wet and separate bags for bottles and cans,”
Lobo said.
In a recent decision, the government has selected Karnataka Commercial and Services Pvt Ltd as the agency to clean beaches in the State. In the past, Drishti Marine was entrusted the job of cleaning the beaches in the
State.
The agency, however, stopped cleaning up of beaches in November last year after its contract was not renewed by the Goa tourism department. Later, however, Drishti Marine resumed the cleanliness of beaches after working a stop gap arrangement with the tourism department until the end of season, up to March 2019.
