the goan I network
MARGAO
Post Betalbatim gangrape around a month ago, District Collector, South on Thursday held a meeting with the stakeholders to initiate corrective measures for security and vigilance of beaches, even as the Tourism department, Colva police and the Betalbatim village panchayat will hold a joint inspection of the beach belt to identify suitable spots for the installation of high mast illumination lamps.
While welcoming beach patrolling initiated by the South Goa police, the stakeholders, however, said the policemen should also patrol the sand dunes to make the patrolling effective and keep the anti-socials at bay.
The Colva police has also told the District Collector, Anjali Sehrawat that while around 22 policemen are patrolling the Salcete beach belt from 9 am to 7 pm, the police has decided to patrol the Betalbatim beach stretch from 7 pm to 12 midnight for a period of two months.
The meeting convened by the District Collector was attended by Nuvem MLA Wilfred D’Sa, officials of the Tourism department and panchayat, besides Betalbatim sarpanch Constancio Miranda, Majorda Sarpanch Agnelo Fernandes, ZP member Nelly Rodrigues, DySP Raju Raut Desai, Colva PI Filomeno Costa and others.
The meeting discussed a host of safety and security issues against the backdrop of the gangrape and the memorandum submitted by the Betalbatim village panchayat to the Collector to tone up the beach infrastructure to ensure security of the visitors from anti-social elements.
The Tourism official pointed out that the department will install as many as six high mast lamps along the Betalbatim-Majorda beach belt, with four lamps sanctioned for the four beaches in Betalbatim. Since the location of the high mast lamps is undecided, it has been decided that the Tourism department, police and the village panchayat will hold a joint inspection to identify suitable points for the installation of the lamps. The District Collector made a fervent plea to the private land owners to willingly give the NOC for the installation of the high mast lamps given that obtaining CRZ permissions is a time consuming process.
Even as the Betalbatim Sarpanch Miranda pointed out that the panchayat has erected warning boards at the beach belt, the tourism officials said the department will also install sign boards along the belt.
On the tenant verification, the police maintained that details of tenants verified by the police cannot be handed over to the panchayat even as DySP Raju Raut said the panchayat can inform the police if they come across migrants staying in any locality without informing the police.
