MAPUSA
Upset over the sudden appearance of a massage parlour in Calangute, alert locals first forced the owner to shut down the premises and on Monday urged the village sarpanch Joseph Sequeira to immediately revoke the permission issued to the parlour.According to the residents, the massage parlour was started overnight at Naikavaddo in Ward 3 in Calangute, which is a residential area.
“The owner has been constructing the structure for the last almost a year in the area. But on Saturday, big posters were put up announcing the starting up of a massage parlour in the premises. There are several families living with their small kids here. We do not want our kids growing up watching such activities happening here,” said a local.
The residents met and handed over a memorandum to the sarpanch and urged him to immediately revoke the permission to the owner.
Former deputy sarpanch Sudesh Mayekar said such activities should not be allowed in residential areas and applauded the action of the women who stopped the operation of the parlour on Sunday.
“We have spoken to the owner and he has shut it down for now. But the panchayat needs to act swiftly and revoke the licence issued to the owner,” Mayekar said.
He alleged that a former panchayat secretary had signed the licence to the massage parlour on July 10 even when the secretary was transferred in June.
He further said that his mother who represents the ward was never told about the massage parlour.
Appreciating the prompt action of the residents of the ward, panchayat member Sunita Mayekar said people should remain united and oppose projects which are not in the interest of the people.
“In spite of being a member of the ward, I was not informed that permission is granted to a massage parlour in our ward,” Mayekar said.
Another local said that the panchayat should take the locals into confidence before issuing permission to any controversial projects/plans in the village.
We will seal premises: Sarpanch
MAPUSA: Stating that villagers should not be misguided, Calangute Sarpanch Joseph Sequeira on Monday assured to issue a show-cause notice to the owner of the massage parlour and the premises will be sealed as per the wishes of the residents.
Sequeira also said that certain former panchayat members were trying to score political points by misguiding the people of Calangute.
“We will issue a show-cause notice to the owner first. We will also discuss the issue in the next meeting and then seal the premises. I will inspect the site and stop it,” Sequeira said.
The Sarpanch said that all ward members are given a copy of letters of what is discussed at the fortnightly meeting.
“People are saying the ward member did not know about the resolution. She did the same thing and feigned ignorance in another issue recently. If you don’t know, then what are you doing in the panchayat,” he asked.
He further alleged that the panchayat member’s son was misguiding the people to score brownie points to lift up his sagging political career.
