PANAJI
Director General of Goa Police Jaspal Singh has warned of disciplinary action against the police officers for failing to strictly enforce regulations banning loud music outdoors beyond 10 pm.During a meeting at the police headquarters on Saturday, officers from Anjuna and Pernem police stations were specifically warned about the ongoing issue of several complaints regarding loud music in their respective jurisdictions.
Despite these complaints, citizens have alleged that the police are ineffective in taking appropriate measures as a result of which several outdoor party organisers, beach shacks and other party hubs have been blatantly defying the law.
The meeting, chaired by DGP Singh was exclusively held to rectify the lapse on the part of the police, which upset the High Court of Bombay at Goa. The Division Bench Justices Valmiki Menezes and M S Sonak, in its order this week rapped the police over its attitude not to take action against the violators of noise pollution even as the rules are framed by the government itself.
“If the DGP is indeed serious about the statements made by him in the affidavit before us that all steps would be taken to ensure that this menace of noise pollution beyond 10 pm is curbed, then, possibly, this is one occasion to make good this statement. It is for the DGP to consider whether the usual excuses about denials or some lip service by the police officer should be accepted or not,” read an extract of the Court order.
The High Court’s displeasure over the failure to curb the rampant menace prompted the DGP to hold his first meeting which lasted for around two hours. The DGP has asked his officers to act on the complaint even though there is no written complaint while citing the Court’s direction that the police should not wait for a written complaint.
“The police authorities are under the firm impression that they are not obliged to act against the clubs involved in violation unless there is a written complaint. This means that even if the beat staff or the staff of the police station hears the loud music, they think that it is not their duty to take any action,” the court has slammed while directing the DGP to disabuse the police officials in these police stations of this incorrect impression.
