AUGUSTO RODRIGUES
ANJUNA: The ruckus at the Anjuna gram sabha on Sunday has buoyed the anti-noise crusaders to up their fight against units they feel, “do not care about how locals live their life.”
The assault on anti-noise pollution activist Dr Inacio, allegedly Gajanan Tilve, by a man who has been described as “my man” by Calangute MLA Michael Lobo, has irked locals who ask if “violence has any justification” and that too at a Gran Sabha, a meeting ground of peoples to deliberate local issues
“This fight is not just for my disabled son to have a decent life but all the elderly and vulnerable in the village. We have been fooled by our MLA, (Delilah Lobo) the Chief Minister and made to feel like dirt by the police. We are not going to bend because of a few slaps,” thundered Jenny Crasto co-coordinator of Vagator Anjuna Chapora (VAC) unit of the Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) of the village.
She and others ask if beating civic activists is the new template for village level democracy.
“By venting their frustration on Dr Inacio they have shown they are in the wrong. If he was doing something against the law, why didn’t they complain to the authorities rather than wait for the Gram sabha, to get at him in front of the police,” asked restaurateur and home stay owner,
Antonio Moraes
“I squarely blame Chief Minister Pramod Sawant for yesterday’s incident. Had he acted on the file presented to him when he had come for a meeting, this would never have happened,” thinks who has been feeling the bite of loud music on his business.
The mood in the village since Sunday evening is energised with those against loud music meeting and deciding that the fight will go on until the village is able to sleep in peace and the detractors declaring that their grouse against Dr Inacio was because he disrupted operations of units playing loud music before 10 pm.
“He (Dr Inacio) was going outside restaurants at 7 pm and trying to stop them by disturbing their clients. It was okay if it was after 10 pm. We do not want noise after 10. But before 10 pm is absurd,” said Anjuna panchayat ward member Dinesh Patil.
“They are complaining about loud music without realising the number of families making a living by selling tea outside the perimeter of such clubs. They cannot stop people playing music before ten pm,” added Patil, unaware that music during the day, in residential areas, has to be below 50 five decibels.
Patil's arguments were torn apart by Avelin Fernandes from Anjuna who said: “I call the police complaining of loud music from 6 pm to 9 pm and as they refuse to help me; my next resort is to call Dr Inacio.”
“The owners of bars and shacks on the Anjuna beach behave as though we do not exist and blast their music from evening till morning. Are we not supposed to live or do they want us to run away from our homes,” asks Fernandes who is grateful for the help she has been receiving from noise pollution activists in the village.
“I am still recovering, but should get well soon,” said Ana Fernandes who alleges to have been thrown down whilst trying to protect Dr Inacio. “A police man was also thrown and nobody has spoken about it,” alleges Fernandes who is still awaiting news whether her FIR has been filed.
“The problem lies with the local elected bodies for allowing clubs that are not sound proof in residential areas. Just the other day, we saw a group of locals protesting and smelt trouble,” confessed Pooja from New Delhi as she enjoyed a south Indian shack in the village.
“It is not fair that people have to suffer because of us. Then the ire is drawn towards us tourists,” she added.
The next gram sabha is slated for December 15 and the people have already taken a resolve to, “fight till the end.”
“Music is not that draws most tourists to Goa. It is our nature, the peace and serenity. Goa was known for its calm but today, it is outsiders who are trying to sell us as a noisy place and that explains why foreigners opt for other places,” reasons Jenny Crasto.
MLA Lobo says
Dr Inacio’s attacker was his man
Says the public spirited activist was attacked as “people were frustrated” that he went to stop music at 7 pm
Team Herald
MAPUSA: Calangute MLA Michael Lobo identified Gajanan Tilve – one of those who assaulted Inacio – as “my man”, though he said that the way the events had unfolded at the gram sabha was “not correct”.
However he almost seemed to justify the happenings by saying “They were frustrated as Dr Inacio goes to restaurants and tells them to stop music even at 7 pm. How can he do that?”
“I am against rave parties and those playing music beyond 10 pm. I have also been informed that Dr Inacio and Tilve had verbal altercation before the start of the gram sabha,” said Lobo.
This brought about a sharp retort from locals. Activist Roshan Mathias said, “The assault on a gram sabha member was totally undemocratic and I condemn it. The assailants were sent by the MLA to disrupt the proceedings and stop passing important resolutions. The assailants belonged to a politician.”
Dr Inacio's take on the incident is important. “It was a planned attack on me to stop gram sabha from passing a resolution against mega events like Sunburn electronic dance music (EDM). Due to this violence, the gram sabha was adjourned. One of the assailants, Carlos, owns a restaurant and plays loud music,” he added.
Condemning the incident, former Calangute MLA Agnelo Fernandes said, “The trouble-makers were sent by politicians who are drugs and land mafia. This was evident the way the activist was beaten in the presence of police, who were helpless. The police should have arrested them there or soon after the gram sabha was over. But it did not happen. This is a sad day for grassroot democracy.”
A day after the ruckus and physical assault on activist Dr Inacio Fernandes at the Anjuna gram sabha, complaints and counter-complaints from both sides kept the issue on the boil on Monday.
In his FIR, Inacio has named Tilve, Yogesh Govekar alias Mogambo, Carlos Fernandes, Rohan Naik and Seby D’Souza for the assault, saying that they had abused, pushed and assaulted him in the presence of all villagers and police. On the other hand, Gajanan in his complaint stated that that Dr Inacio accosted him before the start of the gram sabha and caught his wrist and prevented him from entering the space.
Gajanan Tilve was first member of BJP and when Delilah Lobo stood on Congress ticket, he quit the congress to help her win the election- Anjuna Sarpanch Laxmidas Chimulkar .
Siolim MLA Delilah Lobo did not reply when texted asking whether Tilve was her PA or BJP member.
Ramesh Naik from Anjuna said, “We collectively come together to thrash out issues affecting the village during a gram sabha and we are all from the same village. Arguments and verbal clashes are bound to be there but physical attacks must be avoided. Sunday’s incident is deplorable.”
Bernice Pereira, a senior citizen from Anjuna, said, “Many a time, loud music is a nightmare for senior citizens and any business should function within permissible sound limits. Being from Anjuna, I strongly condemn this incident.”