Panaji: Calangute MLA Michael Lobo has said that there is not a single officer in Tourism Department who is ready to visit the beach and take the smell of garbage.
Lobo was talking to reporters after meeting, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar at his private residence.
“I am saying that tourism department does not have any official who is ready to take smell of the garbage. They can’t remove their own garbage,” he said.
“Who will monitor the contract? Show me one person from tourism department who is ready to walk out of his cabin and look at the beach,” Lobo added.
The Calangute MLA said that the garbage has littered on the beach. “I am not blaming anyone. I am blaming ourselves, we have failed. That is why I came to appraise CM about it. CM has told me that he will put this in place by tomorrow,” he said.
“We have not spoken on tendering process. I have only told him that tender cannot be by tourism department, it is again going to be the scam which had happened earlier,” Lobo said.
He said that earlier there was a scam in garbage tendering. “Who had claimed it as a scam? Rohan Khaunte and Vijai Sardesai had claimed that it was a scam. I had supported them that time and also now,” he commented.
“Goa’s tourism industry should not be finished. We should not be killing this industry for the sake of someone’s ego. Let them take their ego at home,” Lobo said.
“I have appraised vijai sardesai that you need to intervene in this matter because you are responsible minister of this government. You need to take this step to protect the industry,” he stated.
The Deputy Speaker said that during his meeting with the CM, he had appraised him about the garbage situation on the beaches of Goa.
“I have told him that the tourism department is not interested about alarming situation about the alarming situation on the beaches of Goa,” he said.
“They get salary from the state fund and they don’t know that 60 per cent of Goa’s population depend on tourism industry,” he added.
“I have appraised him and he said that things will fall in place by tomorrow morning. i have told him that the tender cannot take place and earlier there was a problem and former tourism minister was implicated in the problem,” Lobo said.
“I told him that the tender process cannot be taken by Tourism department, it has to go through Solid Waste Management Corporation, and he has agreed on that,” he said.
On the issue of Single bidder, Lobo said whoever has done that job of making the tender document itself has manipulated that.
“They don’t have expertise to do that document. That expertise we are having. That is why the corporation was formed and garbage treatment plant has come into existence,” he added.
“I told CM that if you are going to do this work under pressure than I will come forward on behalf of the people of Goa. I have appraised him that people are unhappy, they want the beaches to be clean,” he said. “They want footpaths leading to beaches to the clean. They want prominade of the beaches to be clean. They want the entrance clean. I am not favouring any contractor,” Lobo added.
