Paradise lost: Arambol's descent to chaos

Arambol: Discovered by the hippies in the 70s, the once virgin beach of Arambol stands today as an example of over exploitation and green violations.

Sacrificed on the altar of tourism for quick bucks, the beach, which is on the home turf of Goa Tourism Development Corporation chairman Dayanand Spote, has degraded with sewage, garbage and encroachments dotting what is called one of the famed beaches of Goa.

“The beach sand is not clean anymore. It is dirty and has turned greyish at certain spots, thanks to the litter which is not always picked up. Plus, there are private shacks that release their sewage directly into the sea. Some have even encroached on the beach, yet they continue to get the no-objection certificate from the health centre as also other permissions to operate,” an Arambol villager said.

He said that with authorities busy milking the benefits of tourism, complaints of locals are hardly taken cognisance of whether it is the green violations or the parking that happens on the beach.

“Give me some time. I’m aware of the problems and now that I’m part of the government, I will ensure that illegalities are stopped,” said Sopte, who is also the local legislator.

The illegalities extend to more than the sewage that some private shacks have been releasing into the sea for the past three to four years. The tourism department and even the local panchayat have also ignored the encroachment on the beach by the private shacks and their illegal beach beds.

The Arambol beach is also perhaps the only beach in the state where one will find two-wheelers parked right on the beach. Even approaching the beach is difficult as the entrance to it is narrow and crowded with shops. Traffic congestion is normal here, the villager said, expressing fear that a fire tender would not be able to approach the beach in case of an emergency.

“Yet, never is a traffic cop posted here. With four-wheelers trying to make their way right up to the beach, traffic jams up. You can’t blame tourists since there are no signboards to tell them that they cannot take their vehicles beyond a certain point,” he said.

Vendors are not permitted on beaches and IRB personnel posted there are required to drive them away. But, not so surprisingly, Arambol beach has all kinds of vendors doing business with impunity.

Sopte said he has spoken to chief minister Pramod Sawant about these issues, but it will take some time to get things in order. “A lot of vendors are seen doing business on beach illegally. We want to have them removed,” he said.

Websites may list it as one of the best beaches in North Goa, but the reality is far from this as the tourism department and local panchayat, the biggest beneficiaries of increased footfalls at Arambol, refuse to take action.