MAPUSA
The Calangute panchayat has thrown down the gauntlet to the tourism department, warning that if it is unable to manage garbage collection along Tito’s Lane and adjoining beach areas, the responsibility should be handed over to the panchayat.
The issue came to the fore after large quantities of garbage were dumped in the open on tourism department land near Tito’s Lane, turning the popular beach stretch into what locals described as a “sea of waste”.
The stench and unsightly piles have sparked concern among residents and tourists alike, particularly as the area witnesses heavy footfall.
Calangute Sarpanch Joseph Sequeira said the garbage dump posed a serious health hazard to both locals and visitors.
“If the tourism department cannot clear garbage around Tito’s Lane and other areas, the responsibility should be transferred to the panchayat,” he said, adding that multiple representations to the department had gone unanswered.
Sources in the tourism department stated that garbage collection in Calangute and Candolim has been outsourced to a private contractor, who has been permitted to use the open space near Tito’s Lane for segregation of dry waste.
Sequeira acknowledged that the land belongs to the tourism department but maintained that waste management should be entrusted to the panchayat, which, he claimed, could handle the task more efficiently.
