MARGAO
The Margao police on Tuesday cracked a whip against persons sleeping on the benches of the Margao Municipal garden.
The action comes against the backdrop of a video that had gone viral a day ago, showing how migrants in an inebriated state were posing nuisance at a public place near the Margao Municipal garden.
A Margao police team comprising of Home Guards and policemen went around the garden on Tuesday morning to drive away persons sleeping on the garden benches. Police said they had received complaints that migrants sleep on the benches and create nuisance to the pedestrians. Some of these migrants have been accused of consuming liquor and report at the garden to receive food distributed by NGOs. The Margao Municipal Council had also come under fire for turning a blind eye to the nuisance caused by miscreants who have made the garden benches as their second home. “Madgavkars who used to come and sit on the garden benches have stopped doing so since the migrants sleep and drink on the benches. We call the Margao Municipal garden an iconic garden, but the authorities, including the Municipal authorities seemed to have gone in a sleep mode to stop the nuisance at the garden,” remarked a local resident.
He added: “We have no objection if food is being distributed to the persons, but the Collector should designate a public place for the NGOs to distribute the food packets. The iconic Margao Municipal garden cannot be a place for anyone to drink booze and eat food and then sleep on the garden benches.”
