The beginning of October is a significant one for the State of Goa. For one it usually marks the end of the monsoon season and the beginning of the tourism season.
And with much depending on the tourism sector to prop up the Goan economy, a lot is riding on a successful season.
However, news of a death due to drug overdose on Sunday night at Anjuna of a youth from Hyderabad, is certainly not the news that the state wanted to hear as it prepares to thrust itself from the current quagmire it finds itself in both on the political as well as the economic front.
There is no doubt that the narcotics underbelly is flourishing in the state and while the monsoon months may offer respite for the local residents along the coastal belt, the lurking fear is that a combination of lack in leadership will give a free run to Goa’s undercover businesses.
The Goa Police have already shown that the absence of a full time home minister has not come in the way of a crackdown on drunk driving for instance -- but will that translate to a similar crackdown on the sale of narcotics especially when there are a lot of political and business interests involved?
With signs of a revival in the tourism economy, which is good news for the tourism sector, it could mean an even bigger scale of drug operations this season.
While asking the government to shake off the tag of being a cheap booze and drug destination may be too much for the state to achieve in the short term, a crackdown on the drug business would be a welcome first step in that direction.
The question is: Who will take the lead? Back in 2012, the defeat of then Home Minister Ravi Naik was largely down to the fact that he and his son Roy were reportedly involved in the thick of the drug mafia, an allegation that was fuelled by the opposition BJP with the Congress and the Naiks in particular doing little to counter it.
This time around there may be no poster boy, however the extent of the problem remains the same as do the complaints of those who live along the coastal belt.
It is now down to the officers of the Goa Police at all levels to step up and prove that they are not dependent on political will or lack thereof to do a good job. Instead the lack of political leadership can be a blessing in disguise for the State if the Goa police use the opportunity to do their jobs without politicians telling them what can and can’t be done.
Will they take up the challenge?
