The hawkers’ menace continues to haunt the north Goa Beach belt right from Arambol, Mandrem, Morjim, Anjuna, Baga, Calangute to Candolim. However, even after witnessing the hawkers practically loitering on the beaches of North Goa, the authorities have turned a blind eye towards this issue.
After mining, the tourism industry is the only major source of income, especially for North Goa. However, locals from the north say this industry has been totally taken for granted and in reality it is providing an open market for outsiders to operate this industry.
Goa, being one of the tourist destinations on world maps, thousands of Indians as well as foreign tourists visit Goa on a daily basis expecting they will be provided with best of services. However, when they land on the beaches, they are being harassed by hawkers who do not allow them to enjoy the beauty and serenity of north Goa beaches.
There are hundreds of shops and restaurants located at the beaches that offer different products for tourists. But it is the hawkers who visit the beach and sell the same products to them. A local from Mandrem said that these hawkers are a nuisance because they keep pestering the tourists, who come looking for peace and to enjoy tranquility on the beach.
Despite the locals complaining continuously to the authorities trying to get rid of this problem, it appears that selling goods on the beaches has turned into a permanent business for the hawkers who are outsiders.
This particular section of hawkers target every tourist stepping on the sand forcing their products like embroidered clothes, eatables, fruits, artificial jewellery on them.
There are few who also loiter around presenting themselves as beggars but many operate business activities, and even dare to erect temporary stalls on the beach. Along with sale of items, they also offer body massage to the tourists, illegally and each beach has almost 30 to 40 hawkers operating freely.
According to the sources, there are police deployed at each belt to keep a check on the hawkers. However, when these hawkers see the police, they go and hide themselves and carry on their activity in the absence of the police.
Recently a video had gone viral on social networking sites where six female hawkers were providing massage to one foreign tourist. The video was taken by a group of boys who were playing on the Candolim beach. The video then got viral, responding to which, the police had arrested these six women and released them after registering a case.
Sources also informed that the female hawkers operating on the beaches not only sell the items but also are involved in prostitution. Some of them reportedly also sell cigarettes that contain narcotics.
A local Shivram Parab said, “This is shame for us Goans. Outsiders are coming and doing illegal business here and are spoiling the name of Goa which such activities.”
When contacted the local Panch Member Danial D’Souza, said, “We made several letters to the concerned authorities but till date no action has been taken. The police act for two days driving them off but after two days the situation returns to the old scene. At the panchayat level we can only inform and request the concerned authorities to take action and we have done the same”.
Anjuna PI CL Patil said, “There are tourist police deployed at the beaches as well as the local police to drive away the hawkers from the beach. We drive them off and if required we book them under Section 34 for creating nuisance. They are later being remanded and released. All we can do is driving them off by giving them warning.”
Calangute PI Jivba Dalvi said, “Graphically the number of hawkers has reduced on the Calangute beach stretch since we do not allow them to operate on the beaches. Also since now it is the season ending, most have returned back to their native place. However, we drive them off by giving them warnings”.
Sources informed that these hawkers operating on beach pay a certain amount to the Panchayat in the form of sopo and whenever the police come to drive off the hawkers, they state that they pay money to the Panchayats.
