PANAJI
A team of three carefully selected canines will assist the Goa Police to keep a close watch on the alleged narco-trade in and around the ‘Sunburn’ EDM festival venue from Thursday to Saturday at Vagator, top police officials have said.
The entire security and emergency services apparatus around the venue will have around 1,200 policemen deployed in addition to personnel of the Fire and Emergency Services besides the 108 GVK EMRI Ambulance services over the three days.
The focus however will be on the alleged narco-trade with the team from the Anti-Narcotic Cell of the Goa Police getting assistance from one specially trained dog while two other canines will assist the team from the Crime Branch.
This year, no additional out of State or Central para-military force has been requisitioned and the full responsibility of maintaining law and order during the much sought after EDM festival will be Goa Police’s alone.
Apart from the 1,200 regular policemen who will be deployed, four platoons (two men and two women) of the Indian Reserve Battalions (IRB) will be at hand in reserve.
Also, traffic police and home guards will also be deployed for traffic management.
The fire and emergency services will have around 80 of their men deployed in addition to the paramedic and other personnel of the 108 GVK EMRI ambulance service.
The Goa Police’s Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS), Rapid Action Force (RAF) are also being assigned specialised security duties.
The Bombay High Court Bench at Goa, meanwhile, has also directed the Goa administration to monitor the festival for compliance of sound pollution norms. The task has been entrusted to the Additional Collector (North Goa) along with the Sub Divisional Police Officer (Bardez) and also the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) officials by forming a Noise Pollution Enforcement Committee.
In addition, a Central (State level) Noise Monitoring Committee has also been constituted comprising Police Inspectors, Case Officers and GSPCB’s technical personnel.
The North Goa District Collector meanwhile has issued an order declaring almost the entire Vagator-Anjuna areas as a ‘No Parking’ zone: from Anjuna Police Station to the Little Vagator Junction, Starco Junction to Chapora Fort Junction, Anjuna Tinto to the beach parking area and Vagator Sita Restaurant to AJ Super Market area.
Additionally, on all the three days the EDM festival will be held, heavy vehicles other than private passenger buses will be barred from entry on six routes to Anjuna, according to the Collector’s order.
