--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -FOR PANJIMITES TO SEE THE NEW PANJIM JETTY WITH LEXICON SHIP
Yesterday evening on 18th 2016, I have visited the Panjim Jetty and surprisingly I saw more than 500 local tourists boarding the vessel LEXICON venturing a one hour sea ride for the sightseeing tour from the Jetty towards Miramar to Mandovi Bridge and back to the Jetty which is being operated from the Captain of Ports Jetty itself. This Lexicon has the blessing of the Government as it was inaugurated with pump and glory by almost all authorities of the Government who were present during the inaugural ceremony. I have noticed that tickets is being sold at Rs. 300/- per person, for the sight seeing tour of one hour duration and the trips are continuous as the tourists keeps on waiting for their turn at the jetty itself with their tickets. The crowd perhaps is being directed by the Paulo Tours and Travel to the Jetty and the tickets are allegedly being sold in the car INOVA which is parked inside the jetty area. ( see the photograph). These tours starts in the evening and the crowd is massive and Lexicon moves with several trips until late evening hours with Dj music on board. I have sounded this kind of activity earlier to the Captain of Ports authorities and the Goa State Pollution Control Board who are working modalities, whether they have legal permission to operate for such tourism activities. As a Panjimite and senior citizen of Goa I am a bit worried if there is no permission for this Lexicon ship to operate it will surely destroy the environment and the Mandovi river may be further aggravated and polluted with the garbage and sewage if thrown into the sea by these tourists visiting this vessel. The load on the in situ board toilets may not be able to cope up with such a crowd on the vessel and the stools/ faeces and urine will tend to discharge into the sea. For this purpose I have requested the Goa State Pollution Control Board to visit this ship and check if there are provision made in the vessel to treat and to accumulate such discharges on the vessel itself or else the river will be polluted. Already we have number of Casinos in the area apart from other regular boats navigating in the river Mandovi and with this addition of sophisticated vessel I am afraid that it may turn into a major worries for the Government in the future to control such activities. I have seen many of these tourists carrying food packets and perhaps if permission given to take on board the vessel these empty boxes, plastic etc will be thrown out in the river itself.- Will the concerned authorities look into this matter and stop such menace before it turns into a MESS.-- Enclosed are few photographs of the activities at the Jetty tken in the late evening and the tickets allegedly being sold on vehicle INOVA itself through the Paulo Travel agency and also their advertisement Board just seen outside the Jetty. Stephen Dias Panjimite and senior Citizen Date: 19th Januray 2016--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
