With an aim to eliminate the menace of dance bars in Calangute the villagers decided to withdraw all permissions issued to bars and restaurants that illegally operate such dance bars within their premises.
The villagers in a gram sabha meeting held on Sunday also appreciated the stand taken by the village panchayat on the controversial issue and urged the local body to go all out to stop the functioning of the dance bars which has spoiled the image of the coastal village.
Premanand Diukar, President of Calangute Constituency Forum, said that enough has been discussed on the subject in the last two months for and against the dance bars.
“There are at least 18 to 19 dance bars operating illegally in Calangute…,” he added.
Calangute Sarpanch Joseph Sequeira informed the gram sabha that the legal process to stop the operation of illegal dance bars has been initiated by the panchayat. “The legal process is on. Right now, the dance bar owners have approached the Director of Panchayats and obtained a “status quo” on the action against the demolition order issued against one of the illegal dance bars. But we have approached the High Court against the Director’s decision,” Sequeira said.
The sarpanch also urged all MLAs to bring a bill against dance bars in the Goa Legislative Assembly.
Call to transfer Calangute PI
MAPUSA: Calangute Sarpanch Joseph Sequiera on Sunday has indicated that he has lost trust in the Calangute Police in the fight against the dance bars even as the villagers got together and demanded the transfer of PI Dattaguru Sawant for failure to maintain law and order in the coastal village.
A local, Jose Braganza informed the gram sabha that the Chief Minister had recently requested the villagers not to take the law in their hands but when the same villagers approach the Calangute Police to act against the dance bars they go into a shell and refuse to take action.
“If we go to police we will not get any justice. The best thing is not to go to police but to go to the court of law,” Sequeira said.
Another local, Premanand Diukar informed that Calangute Police were more inclined to support the owners of dance bars than the villagers.
