MAPUSA
In the wake of Sunday’s violent incident at the Anjuna gram sabha, where Dr Inacio Fernandes, a prominent campaigner against noise pollution, was allegedly assaulted, a group of villagers held a press conference defending their actions.
Local resident Ganjanan Tilve, who is accused of assaulting Dr Fernandes, stated that some outsiders were filing complaints against the locals, claiming that their businesses were being unfairly targeted.
“These individuals were first stopping the music and then demanding money from event organizers, accusing them of harassing tourists,” Tilve alleged, deftly defending his action in the gram sabha.
He emphasized that the opposing view on music events did not represent the entire village.
A restaurant owner Carlos Fernandes expressed concerns about the impact of noise regulations on local businesses, saying that without music, customers would not come to his restaurant.
He pointed out that while there are rules to play music until 10 pm, activists like Dr Fernandes often intervened as early as 7 pm, disrupting business.
Taxi driver Yogesh Govekar echoed similar sentiments, calling for a clear government music policy, as tourism-dependent livelihoods were at stake.
"We understand the issues, but solutions need to be found," he said.
