Team Herald
MARGAO: Taking serious note of the open drinking and other nuisance on world famous Colva beach, residents along with local MLA, Colva panchayat and officials of the Tourism Department inspected the beach on Monday, wherein people urged the police for regular patrolling. Shockingly, local tourists were found with alcohol bottles at the time of inspection.
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However, it was more shocking to note that the police officials of the Colva police stations were not serious towards the nuisance, despite requests from the locals and MLA.
Herald had highlighted the issue on March 19.
At the time of inspection MLA Venzy Viegas also discussed the other issues, such as cleanliness, and nuisance due to illegal hawkers, wherein he assured to bring a bill for the amendment of Goa and Daman Registration Tourist Trade Act 1982 in the next monsoon session of Goa Legislative Assembly to resolve the same.
The MLA said that Colva beach is not the only one witnessing such type of nuisance, but other beaches too, and hence a legislator needs to work out a solution to this issue.
“I am not against the business, but against the law that needs to be put in place, wherein the hawkers are organised and in control either by the panchayat or by the tourism. The Goa and Daman Registration Tourist Trade Act 1982, needs to be amended”, he said.
According to him all the business activities such as hawkers, and even private massage parlours (Ayurvedic) will be resolved once the amendment is done in the above act.
He said that as an MLA he will put a private member bill in the next monsoon session to bring amendment to the above act.
At the time of inspection few local tourists were found with the bottles of alcohol, and he instructed the police to do patrolling on the beach on regular intervals in order to avoid the nuisance, and also to guide the tourists involved in making the mess by drinking alcohol on the beach.
Citizens, along with MLA, expressed anger over the absence of Police Inspector of Colva Police Station for the inspection, despite urging for the same. However, PSI Ajit Velip managed to reach the site, who later assured to keep proper check on the illegal activities on the beach.
Rodlin Mascarenhas, Assistant Director of Tourism Department was also present at the site, and assured full support to the MLA and local panchayat in making the Colva beach nuisance free. Johnson Coelho, sarpanch village panchayat Colva, besides other panch members were also seen at the time of inspection.
