Calangute residents take police to task over flesh trade, touting

Calangute: Calangute residents on Sunday during the gram sabha raised concern over the issue of touts creating nuisance at night in the village. They also alleged that illegal activities in the village like fresh trade were going on with the blessings of the police.

The villagers were also taken aback when the sarpanch admitted to the allegations made by the gram sabha members about the police approach.

The gram sabha witnessed a ruckus on the issues of prostitution, illegal touting, operations of unregistered massage parlours and masseurs and charged that police were not acting against these activities and, hence the village was attracting a bad name.

Nitesh Chodankar alleged that if complaints are filed against such things no action comes forth. He pointed out that dance bars were operating without any check on them and that more than 700 touts were operating in the village and they were often found badgering tourists.

Bennedict Lobo told the gram sabha that he and Calangute panch Sudesh Mayenkar had started something called “Neighborhood watch” and that police were informed about more than 400 touts roaming the streets of the village and how they were harassing tourists.

However, when a police team came not a single tout was seen on the streets, he said, alleging that it clearly showed a collusion between the touts and the police.

Ex-sarpanch Joseph Sequeira told the gram sabha that he had provided proofs regarding how touts were openly advertising prostitution services to tourists, but in vain. The villagers also pointed out that there are 34 dance bars in Calangute and some massage parlours were operating without having any address.

Sarpanch Shawn Martins said that the panchayat has acted on complaints regarding massage parlours and that around eight were found without requisite permissions from the collector and the health authorities.

Premanand Divkar brought to the notice of the gram sabha that the panchayat had not carried out the house tax assessment for the past two years and as such the panchayat was losing crores of rupees in terms of revenue to the coffer.

The villagers also raised the problem of power fluctuation, so also about sewage discharge into nullahs by hotels, the vexing issue of parking besides the menace of beggars.

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