Calangute Sarpanch Joseph Sequeira along with other panchayat members addressing the gram sabha on Sunday.
MAPUSA
Calling for strict measures to curb the mushrooming of dance bars and massage parlours in Calangute, the villagers of the beach village on Sunday decided to write to the police and march to the local police station.
The villagers also raised the issue of traffic system, illegal constructions by landfilling, promotion of local cuisine, roadside parking and several other issues at the gram sabha meeting.
Calangute Sarpanch Joseph Sequeira expressed his solidarity with the people against immoral activities and agreed to march to the police station along with the locals over the issue of illegal dance bars and massage parlours.
A resident of Calangute, Premanand Diukar said the influx of a large number of anti-social elements has changed the scenario of the village from clean and healthy tourism to sex and drugs tourism.
He said the famous Goan culture and hospitality received a beating due to such illegal activities which need to stop.
“If authorities fail to put a brake to such illegal activities, then it will not take much time for the nexus of drug mafia and anti-social elements to destroy the clean fabric of our Goan culture,” Diukar said.
Another villager Kundan Kerkar also said that time was running out and called for some strong action against the culture of dance bars and massage parlours.
It was decided that a date will soon be announced when to march to the police station.
The villagers slammed the traffic police for focusing only on issuing challans to tourists and locals instead of trying to put in place smooth traffic movement and managing the congestion on traffic junctions.
“At least six to eight traffic police stand at one point stopping tourist vehicles even if they are not in violation of rules, causing inconvenience and harassment to tourists. Such acts of the traffic police pass a wrong message to the visitors and in the long run it will affect the tourism business,” Diukar said.
He said some coordination has to be worked out so that the traffic police can strike a balance in managing traffic and imposing fines.
A local Clotildes Braganza raised the issue of illegal constructions taking place through landfilling in Sauntavaddo.
She also pointed out construction of an illegal culvert without requisite permission from the authorities which resulted in reducing the width of the drain by a meter thus causing flooding in the area due to the incessant rains.
The sarpanch said the panchayat has raised the issue with the Calangute comunidade and the managing committee of the chapel.
A villager Benedict Lobo emphasised the need to encourage and promote Goan cuisine and culture.
He said this can be done by offering financial support, decreasing the licence fees and holding public events showcasing local cuisine.
“We are seeing a lot of restaurants run by non-Goans who promote North Indian cuisine. There is nothing wrong with that and we cannot stop them. But we also need to promote our own cuisine and culture,” Lobo said.
Sequeira said the panchayat will consider the proposal and was willing to offer financial support and even decrease the licence fee.
“We should bring back the lost glory of Calangute. We should restore whatever we have lost,” Sequeira said.
