Strange as it may seem, Goa's fight against drugs appears to be seasonal. We had two tourists dying of a drug overdose in August and the entire State was abuzz with what looked like the start of a serious war against the menace. An uneasy calm descended on the night parties while politicians across the spectrum were pointing fingers of suspicion towards the law keepers.
Almost two months later, the picture continues to be hazy and the sincerity of the statements of those at the helm are seriously being questioned. At a time when words needed to be put in to action, nobody moved. Among the many voices that reverberated through the corridors of power was that of Town and Country Planning Minister Vijai Sardesai. Vijai fired the first salvo cutting across ‘alliance' lines and blamed the police for conniving with drug peddlers. Close on the heels of the TCP minister's outbursts was Deputy Speaker Michael Lobo who had also come out very strongly against the involvement of police and politicians. Third in line was WRD Minister Vinoda Paliencar who said our coast is infested with drugs and that there is no control. The Goa Forward MLA even claimed that there is a threat to his life from the drug cartel.
With so much of cross-fire in political circles, chief minister Manohar Parrikar was prompted to issue a letter to all MLAs on September 14 requesting them to write to him personally about drug trafficking and not to indulge in open outbursts. It's almost a month now, but not a single legislator shared any information with the CM. This includes the most vocal - Lobo, Vijai, Palyekar and MLAs from the Opposition camp. The long drawn silence has thrown a serious question mark on the very voices that demanded a clampdown on drugs and pointed at the men in khaki.
Between August 15 and September-end, there were a flurry of raids. The state machinery swung into action and conducted a series of raids and made some arrests. There were some insignificant drug seizures too. However, the fizz just eased and the voices against drugs too died down. The parties are back in business and so are the drugs. Michael Lobo had said he knows which police officers are shielding the drug peddlers. If he knows their names, why did he not reveal their identities to the CM? Questions are now being raised over the sincerity and truthfulness of statements made on drug trafficking, since there is not a single legislator willing to come forth and provide any clues. We begin to wonder whether our MLAs or ministers really meant what they said or if that talk was only for public consumption.
Almost two months later, the picture continues to be hazy and the sincerity of the statements of those at the helm are seriously being questioned. At a time when words needed to be put in to action, nobody moved. Among the many voices that reverberated through the corridors of power was that of Town and Country Planning Minister Vijai Sardesai. Vijai fired the first salvo cutting across ‘alliance' lines and blamed the police for conniving with drug peddlers. Close on the heels of the TCP minister's outbursts was Deputy Speaker Michael Lobo who had also come out very strongly against the involvement of police and politicians. Third in line was WRD Minister Vinoda Paliencar who said our coast is infested with drugs and that there is no control. The Goa Forward MLA even claimed that there is a threat to his life from the drug cartel.
With so much of cross-fire in political circles, chief minister Manohar Parrikar was prompted to issue a letter to all MLAs on September 14 requesting them to write to him personally about drug trafficking and not to indulge in open outbursts. It's almost a month now, but not a single legislator shared any information with the CM. This includes the most vocal - Lobo, Vijai, Palyekar and MLAs from the Opposition camp. The long drawn silence has thrown a serious question mark on the very voices that demanded a clampdown on drugs and pointed at the men in khaki.
Between August 15 and September-end, there were a flurry of raids. The state machinery swung into action and conducted a series of raids and made some arrests. There were some insignificant drug seizures too. However, the fizz just eased and the voices against drugs too died down. The parties are back in business and so are the drugs. Michael Lobo had said he knows which police officers are shielding the drug peddlers. If he knows their names, why did he not reveal their identities to the CM? Questions are now being raised over the sincerity and truthfulness of statements made on drug trafficking, since there is not a single legislator willing to come forth and provide any clues. We begin to wonder whether our MLAs or ministers really meant what they said or if that talk was only for public consumption.
