Garbage negligence hurting Goa tourism: Lobo

Calangute: Negligence in garbage collection by non-coastal village panchayats is the main reason for the decline in tourism in Goa, said Calangute MLA Michael Lobo.

During a recent visit to some beaches in the state, Lobo said that he found garbage washed up all over the beaches. “There are various reasons for the decline in tourism in Goa. The main reason is a lack of cleanliness. We need to put our state in order if we want to continue to get tourists,” he said.

People keep dumping garbage in fields, nullahs which flow into rivers and the sea, and from there, it washes back on the beach,” he added.

“So much garbage has come up that the tourism contractor is continuously cleaning the trash. In the coastal belt, panchayats like Calangute are doing a good job. But there is no one to penalise or monitor garbage collection in non-coastal village panchayats. I request the minister to look into this. Only a clean Goa will attract tourists,” he said.