Editor, Goemkarponn
AERIAL VIEW
It’s not the one-off murder case of a Sonali Phogat, but such incidents will certainly make tourists apprehensive. But the murder, the alleged police cover-up thereafter, and the shadows of a drug mafia have definitely tarnished the image of Goa, once considered one of the safest places for tourists in India.
We are not blaming a particular government for this mess. Drugs in Goa have been there since hippies’ time, and the mafia continues to rule even today.
Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant has assured the people that damage control has begun.
The state government has announced the setting up of a special tourism police force to man Goa’s vast coastline, that too even during the night, illumination of prominent beaches and closing down of all shacks and restaurants by midnight.
SURAJ NANDREKAR
Editor, Goemkarponn
Once known as paradise on Earth, Goa today seems to have become the hell where the tourists just come to gamble, do drugs and engage in prostitution.
From a few seaside eateries in the early 1990s to nearly 400 legal and illegal shacks now, the beaches are teeming with drug peddlers and tourists alike—shopping for everything from beads to contraband.
Being a popular tourist destination across the globe comes with its own share of problems.
While tourism earns the State an average of Rs 4,000 crore annually with over 40 lakh tourists, and it contributes 15 per cent of India’s foreign exchange earnings from tourism, Goa also attracts all kinds of people, from celebrities to beachcombers and foreigners with dubious credentials, whom the locals call “white trash”.
Seriously, why do these things happen only in Goa?
Currently, Goa is in the eye of the storm due to the Sonali Phogat murder. Her two colleagues allegedly drugged her at a popular club in Anjuna.
The drugs were procured from One Dattaprasad Gaonkar from Valpoi, who works as a room boy in a hotel nearby.
This is not just an open story; Goa has been grabbing headlines all over due to the drug trade.
Last week a student from Puducherry died in a suspected case of a drug overdose after attending a party in the North Goa coastal belt.
The victim had attended some night parties in Calangute, a town in North Goa and other tourist places along with his three friends in the last few days.
According to Police, the victim died of a suspected drug overdose at Goa Medical College and Hospital, where he was admitted in serious condition.
However, there was no uproar about this incident as the boy’s family did not pursue it, or maybe Sonali Phogat was a more popular individual.
Nonetheless, Goa desperately needs a facelift.
It’s not the one-off murder case of a Sonali Phogat, but such incidents will certainly make tourists apprehensive. But the murder, the alleged police cover-up thereafter, and the shadows of a drug mafia have definitely tarnished the image of Goa, once considered one of the safest places for tourists in India.
We are not blaming a particular government for this mess. Drugs in Goa have been there since hippies’ time, and the mafia continues to rule even today.
Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant has assured the people that damage control has begun.
The state government has announced the setting up of a special tourism police force to man Goa’s vast coastline, that too even during the night, illumination of prominent beaches and closing down of all shacks and restaurants by midnight.
Almost every day, there have been cases registered and drugs seized across the State. But this hasn’t been the deterrent. The drug trade continues to flourish in Goa.
Isn’t it surprising that hundreds of drug peddlers are arrested every year, but the Police have no clue where the drugs come from or who the kingpin is?
It clearly shows there is nexus between the police-drug mafia and so also the politicians.
Without the support of politicians and the Police, the business would never flourish.
After being voted to power, every politician pledges to eradicate the drug mafia, but as his tenure progresses, their tone is muted with Vitamin M… Isn’t it?
Even if there is a political will, the policemen have no will. Seriously for the Police, this is the biggest money-grosser business.
It is learnt that the police station from Anjuna, Pernem and Calangute get crores as protection money for the business. Sources here reveal that only those who do not pay hafta are arrested, and cases are registered.
Such is the situation in Goa and this is “the dark side of Goa”.
