Goemkapronn desk
CANDOLIM: Roshan Mathias, the people’s candidate for Calangute constituency from Goencho Avaaz Party, has succeeded in ensuring that the entire village of Candolim comes under CCTV surveillance. Just last month, Roshan led a delegation of people to submit a memorandum to the Calangute, Anjuna and Mapusa police stations as well as Candolim, Calangute, Arpora, Nagoa and Parra panchayats to demand swift action on the law and order breakdown and huge crime spike that plagues the area. The memorandum was also given to the Chief Minister’s office and Director General of Police. The group comprising locals from the villages of Candolim-Sinquerim, Calangute-Baga, Arpora-Nagoa and Parra, urged the authorities to restore safety to the people and ensure that law and order prevails.
One of the requests in the memorandum was to install CCTV cameras in conjunction with the panchayats on main roads, identify hot spots and by-lanes. Agreeing to the request, recently, Candolim panchayat made an announcement that they will place CCTV cameras all across the panchayat area to help police detect criminal activities.
As a follow-up to the memorandum, Calangute panchayat promised to repair the existing CCTVs, which still hasn’t been done. The Parra panchayat expressed their desire to do right by the people and said they have placed an order for CCTVs.
Mathias commented on the successful initiative: ‘I endeavour to make Calangute constituency shine again, which entails creating a safe haven for residents. Under the ruling BJP government, the Northern tourist belt has deteriorated rapidly and to such an extent, there is a complete breakdown in law and order.
Hence, my first course of action was to convince the local police stations and panchayats that it was time to prioritize the safety of residents. We submitted a memorandum that comprised a list of demands, one of which was a call to action to install CCTV cameras all over. I am pleased that the panchayat took cognizance of the issue while restoring law and order and reducing the crime rate. We urge the Calangute, Parra and Arpora-Nagoa panchayats to also take a page from the Candolim panchayat and install CCTVs in their respective villages.’’
