Not only Coastal beach areas of North and South Goa are earning a bad reputation for drugs but also Ponda Taluka, located at the centre and heart of Goa, is witnessing drug cases for the last three years, say Fondekars.
Ponda has seen a sudden rise in recent years, raising concerns and bringing in panic among locals over the future of the youth of the taluka.
In most of the 16 drug cases detected by police, local youth have been found in possession of drugs while searching for customers. Ponda, which is Temple City and cultural centre of the state is not only
Students as well as locals are targeted not only to consume drugs but also involved in drug peddling activities to increase the dealers’ business.
Although Police has nabbed and arrested more than 16 accused in past three years locals demand more stringent steps and vigil to reach to main supplier to root out the drug peddling activities from Ponda.
Well known for its temples, of late Ponda is slowly earning bad reputation for becoming safe haven of dens for drug peddlers and suppliers.
In the last three years’ surge in cases of seizure of Ganja worth around Rs 25 lakhs, Charas around Rs 20 Lakhs and Gutka and Panmasala around Rs 20 lakh the total touched Rs 65 lakhs were seized in raids conducted by ANC, Ponda Police and Crime Branch. People suspect some small kiosks, shops are operating near the educational premises and are involved in drug trafficking.
Not only migrant people residing in rented rooms but also local youth were also found consuming as well as possessing Ganja to peddle.
In just past 20 days of January this year, four cases of Ganja worth around Rs 1 lakh were detected. The Crime Branch seized narcotics worth around Rs 20 Lakh in a bungalow last week at Sapna Park Bethora, at a distance of one and half km from Ponda Police Station with Ponda Police having no clue on this big raid conducted from late evening to late night.
The Wadi Talvalim locals, had in past, also carried out a morcha on Ponda Police Station demanding action against the youths involved in drug consumption. The locals were suspecting that innocent youth were killed in fatal accident as one youth was driving the vehicle after consuming drugs. While isolated places like Farmagudi, Bypass roads, Village Panchayat grounds are used by youth for consuming drugs, on other hand busy areas like KTC bus stand, banks, crowded areas, market places are becoming a selling point for drug peddlers.
From 2013 to 2015 only 4 ganja cases were reported. However, the business flourished in 2016, say locals, and 15.5 kg Ganja worth around Rs 25 lakh was seized from the arrested 10 accused which included four students while Charas around 5.5 kg was also seized in the same year in the month of April from Borim locals worth around Rs 20 lakh in international market.
In 2017 there were three cases of ganja possession while in past 20 days drugs cases in the taluka have gone up to 15.
According to Police, Ponda being a Industrial area with four Industrial Estates lot of migrant population flock to Ponda in search of jobs. Some labourers coming in from UP, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkand and MP sometimes bring in with them drugs for personal use and also sell it to local youth.
The Anti Narcotic Cell (ANC) of the Goa police arrested two students of the Goa Engineering College (GEC) Farmagudi-Ponda on charges of possessing drugs (ganja) in 2016.
According to Ponda City local Prof. Milind Mhadgut who is former lecturer of College, “Ponda is a cultural centre with several tourist temples and there are lot of cultural activities taking place to imbibe good morals among the young generation but it is surprising that drug peddlers are successful in trapping the youngsters, college students and labourers to use Ganja and charas. According to me mere arresting the accused for possessing Ganja is not enough but there is need to trap the main supplier.”
Shekhar Naik of Ponda said: “Though Police are trying to nab and already registered four cases in twenty days in this month, citizens want Police to conduct a thorough inquiry from the arrested so that they can reach the main supplier of drugs to curb this menace.”
Naresh Naik at Ponda said that good culture and moral values need to be imbibed in the young generation by parents and teachers. He said Police should focus on Colleges, Schools, Higher Secondaries by forming special teams to check on the drug peddlers moving near students during the interval.
