PANJIM: Vagrants and drunkards continue to loiter and spend their nights in the iconic Mermaid Garden, as the Corporation of City of Panaji (CCP) has failed to take any concrete steps to curb this menace.
The miscreants, who have caused the people of the locality to avoid the lush space, also litter the garden and urinate in the open within its premises.
“Every bench in the mermaid garden is occupied by rag-pickers and drunkards, who are sometimes even people who choose to sleep here after a visit to the casinos. The only way to tackle this menace is by having proper wire fencing and round-the-clock security,” a local resident said.
Locals have stopped taking their children to the garden due to the presence of miscreants. Senior councillor of the Corporation of the City of Panaji Surendra Furtado said that CCP should ask its supervisor of the area to take required action. “When I was Mayor, we had tied up with a private security agency. They used to ensure that miscreants and drunkards never enter the gardens of the city,” Furtado said.
Deputy Mayor of CCP, Sanjeev Naik admitted that at present, the civic body is finding it hard to come up with a permanent solution to this menace. “Our team visits the garden and drives the miscreants and drunkards away, but they return the very next day. We have a dedicated team who deals with them. We cannot just lift them and throw them out. Even while driving them away, we have to be careful, what if they fall down and suffer injuries? Who will take the responsibility?” said Sanjeev Naik.
He also claimed that the CCP workers are clearing the trash and cleaning the garden on a daily basis.
