MAPUSA
Training his guns on the department of tourism, Ports Minister Michael Lobo said the department had failed to maintain the stylish toilet blocks built under the Swadesh Darshan scheme spending crores of rupees along Goa’s beach belt.
He said the information centres which were built along the beaches by using central funds were also lying unused for almost five years.
“The plush toilet blocks were fixed with costly Kohler fittings and built with granite. Today, most of the toilets and changing rooms are filthy and the fittings are either broken or not functioning. Tourists refuse to use these toilet facilities because it is dirty,” Lobo said.
He said the tourism officials failed to maintain the facilities built by them on the beach belt.
“The department officials should go and check the toilets. These officials are paid salaries to do a job. They should inspect the facilities set up by them instead of warming up their chairs in the office,” he said.
He further informed that the contractor entrusted to man the toilet blocks was overcharging the people as he has to pay the tourism department.
He said people were charged as much as Rs 20 to use a toilet and Rs 30 to take a shower at the facility.
“The whole purpose of building a toilet is defeated by charging such exorbitant rates. People will prefer to ease themselves in the open rather than paying such a hefty charge for a basic human necessity,” he said, adding that the aim should not be to make money on toilets.
He opined that people should be charged nominal rates of Rs 2 for using the urinal, Rs 3 for the toilet and Rs 5 for a shower.
Four such toilet blocks have been constructed in Calangute constituency “ one in Candolim, two in Calangute and one in Baga.
Besides, such toilets and information centres have been constructed at other beach areas in the State.
Blaming the tourism minister and the department officials for the mess, Lobo said the department neither wanted to hand over the facility to the local panchayats nor were they ready to maintain it.
Offering a solution to the problem, the minister said the Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) was ready to run the facility.
“I am going to write to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to hand over the toilets either to the GWMC or to the local panchayats,” he said.
