PANAJI: The reports of the beach cleaning work around Goa, from April 2007 to November 2007, awarded by the government to the two agencies namely Mr Shivanand Borkar, Chimbel and M/s Mahalsa Constructions, Cuncolim have gone missing from the records of the department of tourism, even as payment of Rs 22,56,925 has been made by the government to these two agencies for the beach cleaning work carried out between March 31, 2007 and June 4 2007.
A beach cleaning-related written reply, furnished by the Minister for Tourism Dilip Parulekar, informed the state legislative assembly on Monday that checks and measures were put in by the department of tourism to ensure that the contractors/ agencies entrusted with the beach cleaning work were doing their jobs properly.
“This included carrying out random inspections by the tourism department officials for a period from April 1, 2007 to August 3, 2014,” Parulekar revealed, noting that for a period from April 2007 to November 2007, no records are found as regards reports submitted by the staff of the department of tourism, who were assigned duties to check the performance of the these outsourced beach cleaning contractors.
“Mr Shivanand Borkar, who was in charge of cleaning the North Goan beaches at Baga, Calangute, Candolim, Sinquerim, Anjuna, Vagator, Morjim, Mandrem, Arambol, Keri and Miramar was paid a sum of Rs 11,27,229, for his beach-cleaning work, while M/s Mahalsa Constructions, Cuncolim, who was in charge of cleaning the South Goan beaches at Canacona, Cavellosim, Zalor, Varca, Benaulim, Colva, Betalbatim, Majorda, Utorda, Arrosim and Bogmalo was paid a sum of Rs 11,29,696, for beach-cleaning work,” he said.
In his written reply to another tourism related question, the Minister for Tourism said that from October 2015 to May 2016, altogether 798 chartered flights brought in the state 1,58,779 international tourists. “The Russian tourists numbering 1,06,754 topped the list of tourists, who arrived in Goa during this period, followed by UK tourists numbering 34,549, and tourists from Ukraine standing at 9,929,” the written reply maintained.
