Goa is likely to ban open defecation in the near future, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar hinted. He said there are few points in Goa where toilets are yet to be set up and once it is done, open defecation would cease to exist in the state.

• Goa which has best natural environment and touristic destination has ample scope to keep the land clean. We could be the first state where open defecation could be banned. We were offering floral tributes to a statue of Mahatma Gandhi, on his birth anniversary.
• The chief minister claimed that the BJP-led state government has proved that garbage issue can be handled positively.  The recently commissioned garbage treatment plant at Saligao is a live example of how garbage can be treated into manure and also during the process, power can be generated.
• Generally people used to look down upon the issue of garbage. But now with the setting up of the treatment site, the perception has changed. The plant can become an educational centre. I have suggested that the students should be taken there and they should be educated on how the garbage is treated.
• To a recent successful bidding of Greenfield International Airport at Mopa (North Goa) has proved that the state has enormous tourism potential.
• We have got the best bidder for Mopa airport project who has agreed for 37 per cent share of revenue. This reveals that Goa has  got tremendous touristic potential in the state.