World-famous Palolem beach can’t tackle vehicle waves

CANACONA: Palolem beach has global renown but its lone parking lot can barely accommodate two dozen vehicles and is easily swamped by the waves of tourists from across India and around the world. The parking problem is acute on weekends and holidays.
The parking lot has been set up on 4,000sqm of land which the Canacona municipality acquired in 1988.But the land also houses a toilet block with baths, changing rooms, and other facilities operated by Sulabh Shauchalaya.
On weekends and long holidays, many who come to Palolem are forced by the parking crunch to drive to other beaches in Canacona or elsewhere. Some who have pre-booked rooms have no choice but to park their vehicles 2-3km away outside the village, in the vicinity of Palolem-Agonda junction.
The main entrance to Palolem beach and the one at Ourem are utterly saturated with tourism activities and offer little open space.
The former deputy speaker and Canacona ex-MLA, Isidore Fernandes, had even raised the issue with the government, while the Canacona Municipal Council (CMC) had passed resolutions to improve parking at Palolem.
After he took over as the CMC chairperson, Ramakant Naikgaunkar had said the council’s priorities would be to set up a multi-storey parking lot at Palolem and to widen the area’s narrow streets. He said the matter is being followed up with the government.
Luis Fernandes, who runs a bar and restaurant at the Palolem junction, said that instead of putting up the Palolem parking space for auction, the municipality should look after it. He said when the lot is auctioned, the operators charge fees arbitrarily, forcing tourists to go to other places.
A former Palolem councillor and former vice-chairperson of the council, Dayanand Pagui, said that the new proposal forwarded through the MLA may backfire as the complex could affect the environment and block natural breeze. He said his suggestion to the MLA to acquire enough area on the Mitta ground must be taken seriously, as the space can accommodate more than 200 vehicles. He said the ground is hardly 500 metres from Palolem’s existing farming space.