MARGAO
Welcome to the world-famous Colva beach, Salcete’s queen of beaches. Local politicos do not stop calling the beach an iconic one.
The beach, however, is craving for attention from the authorities, ranging from the Goa police to Tourism department and the agencies engaged in sheltering stray cattle and dogs.
Otherwise, consider this. Colva beach played host to thousands of visitors throughout Sunday, with domestic tourists thronging the beach in droves, including visitors from Kerala, who had come to watch the ISL finals at the Nehru stadium.
Sadly, all appears not well at the world famous beach for want of attention by the authorities. Hordes of migrant hawkers virtually swarmed on the beach belt in the absence of police or tourist police to keep them at bay. The hawkers had a free run on the beach, as they offered for sale garments and wares, besides offering to paint tattoos.
Incidentally, the menace of beach hawking at Colva beach had increased manifold during the last five years despite tall claims made by outgoing Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar that the illegal activity will be nipped in the bud.
Drinking in public place is banned in the State, more so on the beach belt by the government. Domestic tourists, however, had a field day, consuming liquor and beer at will. The men-in-uniform were nowhere on the beach to rein in on the violators, consuming liquor in the public place.
Officials of the Tourism department were not available for comment on Sunday, but sources in the know say the department had been caught on the wrong foot with liquor consumption on the Colva beach and illegal hawking literally the order of the day.
That’s not all. Stray cattle and dog menace on the Colva beach has become a permanent feature. In the absence of any agency worth its name being roped in to impound the stray cattle, visitors have to be content with the menace posed by the strays.
