Avinash Tavares

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MARGAO: The people living along the coast in Salcete claim to spend sleepless nights due to loud music being played at restaurants and hotels nearby. They claim that they call up the police but no action is ever taken. Herald Team toured the area from Colva to Betalbatim on Saturday night to find out the ground reality. Shockingly, many restaurants along that stretch do play music late at night causing a major nuisance to people living nearby.

The restaurants along the Colva beach were playing loud music at around 11 pm. A restaurant, operating on government land and closest to the beach, was the loudest in the area and could clearly be heard at 100 metres away. Other restaurants were playing live music too but it couldn’t be heard outside their premises.

A popular restaurant along Colva beach also played loud music that could clearly be heard on the road outside. Their security guard informed that every Friday, Saturday and Sunday the restaurant plays loud music till midnight. Since the restaurant is located on top of a sand dune and is surrounded by open fields, the music from the restaurant travels even further than others.

A local named Heraclio Fernandes said that he complained several times but no action is taken. “One place starts their music at 4 pm and plays till 1 am. I have made several complaints at the police station and as well as police control room.” He said that young boys and girls come to dance at the restaurants at night. “The music is so loud that you cannot stay here. After some days, the hotels will start events and weddings. I have told them several times but it’s useless,” Fernandes added.

A restaurant in Betalbatim was probably playing the loudest music. At around 10.30 pm, young people were still arriving at the restaurant where loud Hindi music was being played. Herald spoke to an old man living close by. He stated that they complain almost every day but no action is taken. That night too, the man even called 100 but the police had not arrived. “In a previous report, the police called me a habitual complainant”, he stated. He informed that police told him that they don't have a decibel meter to measure the sound and therefore cannot take any action. “The police inform the restaurant before they reach the site because just before they come, the volume is turned down”, he said.

Herald also contacted Judith Almeida who informed that people come to her complaining that their children cannot study or sleep because of the loud music. “The people are fed up of complaining to the police because they don’t do anything”, she said.