The direction came after a Home Department meeting to discuss the issue raised by the calling attention motion by Calangute MLA Michael Lobo expressing apprehension about foreigners doing business in Goa.
However, there have been doubts raised in many quarters whether this was a mere eye wash, given that the report on the politicians – police – drug mafia nexus by the Nuvem MLA Francisco Mickky Pacheco is gathering dust in the government archives, a year after it was submitted.
Congress had alleged that drugs are openly sold and consumed in shacks along the coastal constituencies which are represented by BJP ministers, as MLAs and Nigerians are openly roaming the streets, back to their old haunts, after a brief hiatus.
The government also wound up the squads that the former Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had started– two squads one each in north and south Goa, that included two policeman, two policewomen, one person from the RTO and one from the Tourism Department to patrol and take action against foreigners doing business in Goa.
There have been allegations, complaints and arrests since foreigners are working as guides, tour operators and running shacks in the state as well as control the coastal cocaine trade. However, the two squads were withdrawn by May.
At the meeting held on Wednesday at which Parsekar, MLAs Michael Lobo and Francisco Pacheco, Director of Tourism, Abhay Abhayankar, DGP T N Mohan DIG KK Vyas and IGP Sunil Garg and Home Department officials were present, a strong demand was made for restarting these squads as well as for construction of a proper detention centre for foreigners who have allegedly ‘lost’ their passports, overstay or do business in Goa while on a tourist visa.
The tourism director was asked that they be allowed to hire vehicles for patrolling.
The two MLAs also demanded a detention centre.
Last year, Parrikar had proposed to the Centre, a detention centre in Pernem school premises. The school was to be renovated by the GSIDC. However, sources said there is some opposition to this proposal from the locals. There was also a suggestion that there should be an international standard centre given that Goa is an international tourist destination.
“I proposed that if a tourist does business without a valid visa he should be fined Rs 2000 and immediately put into the detention centre and then deported,” Lobo told media after the meeting.
In 2013, there had been only nine foreigners arrested for offences like overstaying or doing business illegally, while in 2014 there have been 18 such arrests.
