Cancer of drugs is spreading inland in North Goa

SURAJ NANDREKAR

suraj@herald-goa.com

SIOLIM/SALIGAO: Not only the coastal areas of Goa, the cancer of drugs seems to be slowly spreading inland making it more difficult for the authorities to curb the menace.

Besides, it is not just the big shacks or the nightclubs which are involved in these nefarious activities, drugs have ruined the future of many students, who are not just victims but also peddlers. 

Herald travelled across Siolim and Saligao, meeting people and getting inputs from the grassroots. And among many stories and anecdotes, this was indeed heartrending. A 17-year-old boy, residing at Nagoa, on the borders of Calangute and Saligao constituency, is a full-time drug dealer apart from being an addict himself.

Neighbours say the boy, who is a school dropout, has many other minor boys and girls who are his daily customers.

“Every evening you will see the boys and girls coming. They stay put near the crematorium till late night smoking weed and sniffing other drugs,” said a neighbour Srikrishna Nagvekar, who also happens to be the Arpora-Nagoa Sarpanch.

Nagvekar says that they have complained to the police many times as this causes a major nuisance to the locality but since he is a minor he is left out.

“The situation is such that the locality has suddenly seen spurt in theft cases of motorcycles, shoes and gold ornaments from the houses,” said another person from the neighbourhood who did not want to be named.

This person said that after investigations it was revealed that it was this same boy and his friends who have committed the robberies.

Asked where does he get the drugs from, they replied, “We do not know but he is seen often in Anjuna-Vagator belt maybe he gets from there.”

The person also alleged that the teenager was so notorious that he was axed from his school after he tried to hit his teacher with a sharp weapon.

Herald spoke to the Principal of a school in Siolim, where this boy studied for a brief period and he admitted to the misdeeds of the teenager. (Herald is withholding the name of the school and the Principal since the boy is a minor)

“He was registered in a school in Guirim but for some reasons his mother brought him to our school,” said the principal. He further stated that during the boy’s brief stay at school it was observed that he was always drowsy.

“Boys always complained that he use to smoke, sniff something and also dope. Once some dry grass was also found in his bag,” the Principal said. He added, “Sometime he use to get so violent that once he also pushed the teacher and it took us a long time to calm him down.”

The Principal said that since the board had also rejected his application for transfer from the Guirim school, the Siolim school decided to remove him. “There was no point keeping such a boy,” he said adding, “I am told even his girlfriend from Saligao is involved in the same racket.”

The neighbours and the mother of the teenager have now asked for help from Calangute MLA Michael Lobo. “He along with his friends are all minors and they have to be dealt with soft hands and not iron hands. We need to find a solution to this problem and not just create hype about drugs,” Lobo told Herald when contacted.

He said that he has informed the mother that now the boy is a minor but within months he would be adult and then the police won’t spare him.

“Not only is he addicted but he is also spoiling the other kids,” Lobo said adding, “The menace of drugs has to be eradicated and for that everyone from politicians, police, media and civil society have to join hands and say no to drugs only than this goal can be achieved.”