Pratik Parab
pratik@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: The Deen Dayal Swayam Rojgar Yojana kiosks in Margao, most of which are near the Kadamba Bus Stand and some in Pajifond, have become centres for matka (gambling) and the sale of tobacco products. This raises a question on whether these kiosks, which were allotted to help the society, are really doing their job or have become agents of the corrosion of society.
The Kadamba Bus Stand and railway station in Margao, besides other landmarks, get thousands of passengers every day. Nearly 35 to 40 stalls in these prime locations can be seen trading in various retail products. Tourists from Pune, Bangalore, Mumbai and several parts of Goa, who need to travel out of the South, have to take a bus from either the Kadamba Bus Stand or Konkan Railway Station. This obviously brings in thousands of tourists at these places.
Just besides the interstate bus stop at the Kadamba Bus Stand are nearly 10 Deen Dayal Swayam Rojgar Yojana kiosks, which have been there for over a decade now.
Besides the garbage they dump, these kiosks, which initially served tea and eatables, now rampantly sell gutkha and cigarettes. The picture of this article gives an example of many of the stalls, which are indulging in the sale of products that have been proven to be health hazards. These kiosks are allotted by the Goa Handicrafts Rural and Small Scale Industries Development Corporation Ltd. However, once set up, they are overlooked forever. Even the four kiosks near the railway station and another six or eight kiosks near the fire station have also been selling tobacco products and carrying out the matka trade for years.
“The sale of liquor and tobacco products is strictly prohibited in the kiosks,” reads one of the most important rules of the Deen Dayal Swayam Rojgar Yojana scheme.
It further reads, “The GHRSSIDC shall carry out inspection of the units/projects once in six months and certify that the person whom the project is sanctioned to is carrying out the business as authorised. A copy of the identity card shall be displayed in the kiosk. If on inspection it is established that the kiosk is operated by any other person, it shall be sufficient ground for termination of lease/allotment.”
Dr Shekhar Salkar stated, “There is no banning the sale of cigarettes in kiosks, but the sale of gutkha is totally banned. The sale of cigarettes is not being banned in the State, but cigarettes cannot be sold within 100 metres of educational institutions.”
When Herald contacted the Marketing Manager GHRSSIDC, Subhash Parsekar, he said, “The local police have to keep a check on the matka trade and they are the ones who can stop the trade.”
When asked whether they have had inspections of the stalls, Parsekar said, “We have been doing and now we have moved a file to have extensive inspections of the kiosks.”
However, speaking to these kiosk owners, it was revealed that inspections of the kiosks haven’t happened for over years now, which has paved the way for the unchecked sale of tobacco products and also much serious violations of even subletting these stalls.
Herald did an overall survey of the kiosks at the Kadamba Bus Stand, which proved that there is rampant selling of cigarettes and gutkha at these kiosks. The same can be proved with the pictures of this article.
Similarly, kiosks that have been set up in Pajifond are out of legal framework and are also openly taking matka. Behind the BPS Club Tennis Ground are three Deen Dayal Swayam Rojgar Yojana kiosks, out of which two indulge in the sale of tobacco products and two others are being used for matka trade by the person to whom the kiosks have been allotted.
These two kiosks had been erected in 2007 and have been involved in the illegal trade for years. Complaints were made against these illegalities, but the kiosk owners, with political help, have been threatening the whistleblowers. The threatening is so much that the people in the vicinity fear making comments against these illegalities.
Kashinath Shetye, who has filed a PIL against the matka trade in Goa, while speaking to Herald, said, “The stalls given by the government with subsidy are being highly misused to take matka from people. The matka trade has also reached the students of schools and colleges. The matka agents of these stalls are taking matka from students by giving hafta to the police.”
He added, “I have brought these facts to the notice of the High Court in my PIL. I have also made submissions that these stalls are run with the help of the local MLAs.”
The kiosks, which have been set up with government subsidy under a government scheme for employment generation, have been indulging in the degradation of the society and the youth for a long time now. It calls for a stricter watch on these violations as wrong precedents of the use of government schemes can be stopped in the years to come.
