MARGAO
Margao MLA Digambar Kamat on Thursday inaugurated the renovated children’s park at the Margao Municipal garden, but there isn’t going to be any solution to the menace posed by beggars and miscreants using the garden benches for drinking liquor and sleeping.
Saying the gardens in Margao will find a mention in the Master Plan for Margao which is presently underway, the Margao MLA said the Ana Fonte garden is being totally revamped at an estimated cost of Rs 1.50 crore, exuding confidence that the garden will be inaugurated before Ganesh Chathurti.
After inaugurating the play items in the children’s Park in the northern portion of the MMC garden in the presence of Margao civic chief Damu Shirodkar, Deputy Chairperson Deepali Sawal and councillors, Kamat said the Forest Department will continue to look after the children’s park.
When the media drew attention of the Margao MLA to the nuisance posed by miscreants, including beggars and drunkards, who take to public drinking on the garden benches, Kamat almost expressed his helplessness in addressing the menace. In fact, he pointed fingers at the NGOs who are providing food for the homeless at the MMC garden. “Because of human rights issue, the authorities could not launch a campaign to round up the miscreants and beggars from the MMC garden. I have been told that they consume liquor on the garden benches and dispose of the bottles near the benches,” he said.
The Margao MLA said the issue can be addressed only after the government builds a shelter for the homeless by making provision to provide them free food. “Once the shelter home is ready, these people can then be rounded up and housed in the shelter. In such a scenario, most of these people may return back to their native states,” Kamat said.
