PANAJI: Tourism minister Manohar Azgaonkar said workers engaged by the tourism department have started cleaning the state’s beaches, even as reports poured in of beach stretches being left littered since Drishti Lifesaving, the agency engaged by the department, stopped collecting garbage from Tuesday. He said his ministry is quite capable of keeping the beaches clean. “The tourism department and the Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) have undertaken the charge,” he said.Azgaonkar further said a new agency will be selected within a month-and-a-half, the time taken to complete the tendering process. Till then, a group of contractors will collect waste. “Picking of waste has already started,” the minister said, adding that there will some hiccups for a few days.On its part, Drishti, which was engaged by the department from December 2016, said its beach cleaning service had to be stopped as its contract with the government ended on November 12.When asked on why his department had waited till the eleventh hour to make alternate arrangements, the tourism minister said that Drishti informed them only on November 12 that they will not be collecting waste. “We requested them to continue for month, till a new agency is appointed, and they will be paid for the same, but Drishti didn’t agree. The agency cheated us,” Azgaonkar said.Azgaonkar also denied the charge that since the past few months, bill submitted by Drishti have been kept pending. Drishti, in a letter submitted to chief secretary Dharmendra Sharma, had complained about non-payment of bills.Earlier, at a press conference, GTDC managing director Nikhil Desai said waste collected from beaches is sent to Saligao waste treatment plant.

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