The demolition squad, armed with JCB and other machinery and amid heavy police deployment, began razing Curlies restaurant at Anjuna in the early morning hours of Friday. The operation was so swiftly collaborated that the demolition started less than 24 hours after the deputy collector's office issued a demolition notice to the owners soon after the National Green Tribunal upheld the GCZMA order to demolish the allegedly illegal structure.
Curlies has been in the eye of a storm following the death of actress Sonali Phogat, suspected to have died of a drug overdose at the venue. After initial reluctance, the police booked the case as murder following the family's insistence. From thereon, the investigations picked up the pace, focusing primarily on Curlies and drugs.
The urgency with which the government has moved its machinery to demolish the structure is unprecedented and explains the political undercurrents at play since Phogat was a BJP leader. Goa has witnessed rampant illegalities of shacks, business establishments and land encroachments, but the system has constantly been chugging at its own slow pace. Illegal businesses have thrived because there is active connivance of those in the chain, including the police.
With the demolition of Curlies and the hurry shown in bringing down the structure, the government is trying to send down a message now that the Centre is keenly watching. The message conveyed is that Goa, projected as the tourism capital, will not tolerate illegalities and drugs anymore. However, the reality is that the intolerance is more to salvage the damage the Phogat case has done to the BJP's image.
Demolition of Curlies on the ground that it is an illegal structure barely changes much in the current case context. It doesn't solve the drug dilemma of the State, and nor is it helping the case of murder. Surprisingly, the structure where the alleged crime occurred has been tampered with even before the investigation concluded.
We must understand that the battle is against drugs and those involved in trade. There are dozens of Curlies scattered across Goa's coastline, thriving on drugs and other illegalities. Tourists and locals who are involved in the drug business are certainly going to find newer pastures. We are not arguing that the demolition of Curlies is wrong per se; illegalities need to face the law and action. However, the message that is conveyed through this exercise is misleading.
The point is, if the government is firm about fighting drugs, the demolition of Curlies is just not enough. The clean-up has to start from scratch. There has to be a strict implementation of the night music ban (is the CM listening?); rave parties need to stop, and more importantly, the police nexus must be completely cut off. Sawant was apparently furious at a recent high-level meeting about police being hand-in-glove with shacks and businesses along the coastline. Merely venting out fury will not help. There has to be a strategic and sustained campaign, not a one-off clampdown. Police of integrity must be on this job, not ones who are already tainted with charges of corruption and extortion.
We reiterate, the war against drugs cannot end at Curlies. The CM should walk his talk and start cracking on all the other Curlies scattered along the State's coastline.
