A filmy-style midnight chase of suspected Nigerian drug peddlers along the Calangute-Candolim-Pilerne coastal belt became the talking point on Monday morning. The cynosure of all eyes was not the drugs worth Rs 1.50 lakh that were seized, but the dramatic road chase that went into nabbing the culprits. Goa’s drug stories run much beyond these random thrilling chases and there is nothing to feel proud of. These sporadic seizures are not going to change the larger picture of ‘udta Goa’.
We often hear of small quantities of drugs being seized almost every second day. It’s an open secret that coastal Goa has been a hub of narcotics of all kinds. Saligao MLA Jayesh Salgaonkar in a recent spat with Calangute MLA Michael Lobo over Saligao garbage treatment plant threw enough hints to that effect. Heroic drug chases and occasional seizures are not going to stem the flow of narcotics. Striking at the surface cannot root out the drug menace, neither is it going to be a deterrent. There is more that is required, a concerted effort from all “ from the local MLAs to ministers, police, establishments and the public. The police bear the brunt and have been the focus of this flourishing trade. But there are kingpins and drug lords who have the tacit support of the establishment that remains hidden from the glare.
On the flip side, narcotics have a very potent link to Goa’s tourism, just the way booze, gambling, nightlife and flesh trade are all entwined. The crux of tourism is centred around these and which is why we see a huge chunk of desi tourists flocking in droves for short holidays and parties. The third dimension is the big money involved in the drug trade. It is illegal, but in a ready market like Goa, there is a quick buck that entices the youth, more specifically the unemployed. A corollary to this is narcotics have now spread its tentacles to the hinterland and other smaller villages. Unemployed youth are falling prey and in the current grim job scenario, it can only get worse from here.
These dramatic drug chases and minor seizures are mostly triggers of friction between stakeholders. The government continues to be in denial mode over the spread of narcotics even though the issue found an echo in the recent monsoon Legislative Assembly session. If Goa has to uproot narcotics or even if it is to fight the menace, there should be serious intent, to begin with.
Sadly, the development story that Goa is scripting has tourism in its first chapter and hence the very intent in tackling the flow of narcotics is a suspect. Weeding out narcotics is going to have a ripple effect and not many in the current set up will have the guts and gumption to join hands.
