It was shocking to read the news report ‘Birch fire fallout: Calangute p’yat seals 8 establishments’ (TGE, Aug 22). Even more shocking was the admission by Sarpanch Joseph Sequeira that, besides the eight nightclubs, nine other establishments were operating for several years without obtaining the necessary approvals.
The question, therefore, is why no action was taken by the Calangute panchayat all these years? Did it require a major tragedy like the Birch by Romeo Lane in Arpora to open the eyes of the authorities? Does the panchayat not have a record of nightclubs and other commercial establishments in its jurisdiction? And does the panchayat have to wait for orders from the District Magistrate to seal these illegal nightclubs and establishments? What sort of Panchayati Raj are we witnessing in the state?
AF Nazareth, Alto Porvorim
