MAPUSA
“Supply of narcotics is an international racket with wide network and Goa in no stranger to this menace. Strong answer from the government is the need of the hour if one needs to tackle it,” said Deputy Chief Minister and Mapusa MLA Francis D Souza.Backing deputy chief minister s assertion, Calangute MLA Michael Lobo maintained that none of the governments were able to control the movement of drugs in the State.Disputing his Siolim colleague s view, Lobo said drugs were available in certain pockets and not in the entire State.“In the WRD minister s constituency, there are many who peddle drugs. In my area, there are only consumers and not pedlars,” he said.According to Aldona MLA Glen Ticlo, it was not an easy task to completely wipe off narcotics trade in Goa. “Since Goa is a tourist State, the ills that come with tourism are bound to affect the place. Narcotics is one of the problem that surely exists in the State,” the Aldona MLA said, but quickly added that his government was doing all it could to control and wipe off the menace.Both Ticlo and Lobo are stakeholders in tourism and own hotels in the popular coastal village of Calangute.On Wednesday, the WRD minister had told The Goan that drugs were freely available near educational institutions and other areas in the State.The deputy chief minister disclosed that he had information that group of young boys gathered near the Xelpem spring and below a college, close to his home in Mapusa, who spent long hours smoking endlessly.“Several times, I informed the police about these boys and also requested them to issue a warning to them,” D Souza said further.So have the police failed to take action and curb the flow of narcotics in the State?“There is no seriousness among the police especially in the ANC. If the police want they can break the nexus of the drug dealers in the State,” Lobo said.According to the deputy chief minister, most police are overworked and they have their own priorities.Police have carried out several raids and seized narcotic substances, Ticlo said but expected the police to be more proactive and take strong action against such activities taking place in the State.Earlier on several occasions, the Calangute MLA pointed fingers at the police for failing to act swiftly and take action on drug dealers.
