Colva beach mess belies Rs 11cr revamp

Colva: Under the Swadesh Darshan scheme, Colva beach was to be beautified for Rs 11.7 crore, but a visit to the beach today reveals shattered infrastructure despite the promise of the creation of an ‘iconic beach’.

The money was sanctioned for Colva beach in July 2018. The project was launched by the tourism minister at the time, Manohar Ajgaonkar, and included comprehensive beautification, roadworks, and landscaping.

Other project features were gazebos, toilet and changing blocks, parking for over 450 vehicles, a children’s play area, and a network of 15 high-end CCTV cameras and ornamental street lighting.

In 2019, seven gazebos made of steel and fibre-reinforced plastic were installed, and officials of the Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) asserted that these structures were built to endure the coastal weather conditions.

However, within a year, the structures began deteriorating. By the monsoon of 2020, most gazebos had collapsed. Today, only two skeletal remains stand.

The situation deteriorated in 2022, when the ornamental lighting poles were ripped off by strong winds, plunging the beach into darkness for months. In May 2025, unseasonal rains brought down the remaining poles.

GTDC officials have only vague responses to questions on whether any structural audit was ever conducted.

The CCTV network is now entirely non-functional. The air-conditioned monitoring booth lies defunct.

Despite the project’s cost and its high-profile launch, no public record of a financial or technical audit has surfaced. Locals, including panchayat members, have repeatedly raised concerns over the drain of taxpayer money and the lack of upkeep.

As the state prepares for Swadesh Darshan 2.0, who will answer for the Rs 11.7 crore already lost, said one panchayat member.