Panaji: A walk along the beach stretches busy Calangute and Baga shows that not much has changed there even after a specially trained police officers began patrolling travel in the area.
Vendors, touts, hawkers, children selling colorful band, and massagers that look free to move, despite policies prohibiting them from beach huts.
Beach shacks also continues to occupy as much space as possible, with their umbrellas, deck beds, chairs and tables, and a canopy.
While the present tourist police for petty crimes – finish fights among tourists or between tourists and Coast Guard search for the missing child, attending to complaints against the operator shack playing loud music – vendors are seizing the opportunity to sneak into the beach to sell their goods and services.
Number of masseurs and vendors on the beach might have decreased significantly over the years, but they continue to operate, because many of them do their business quietly with shack operator.
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“If we questioned massagers, rescue hut operators they claim that they are the staff they were hired to do odd jobs,” said a tourist police personnel.
Hut in extending popular and crowded beaches have one or two female aides who worked primarily as a masseuse.
Total massagers swollen after 5 pm, even when a police patrol Calangute, Baga and Candolim beaches 24×7.
A police officer said that although North Goa has more than 70 tourist police personnel, there are only four female officers.
“After 6:00, we were not involved with female masseuses and most of the time they were defended by hut operators,” he said.
In addition, the police said that nabbing vendors and masseurs not as easy as the beach has several entrances, allowing them to make their strategic entry so as to avoid them.
“When they saw the police from a distance, they disappear or will seek shelter in a beach shack,” said another tourist police.
He said that in addition to keeping a close watch on the vendors, they have other tasks to handle.
Much of their time, he said, was taken in finishing the fight.
“We have to finish first fight, taking the injured to the doctor, and gave the defendant at the police station respectively.
All of this can easily take one or two hours to bring under control, “the cop said.
They also have to attend to complaints about excessive or tourist huts do not pay the bill.
Last week, a tourist from South India was arrested for not paying a bill of Rs 2,000.
“The man was in his twenties and had fled to the house and appeared mentally disturbed.
He had no money on him.
We contacted her family, and after they are paid, he was released, “the cop said.
Undoubtedly, the presence of tourist police has helped to bring some semblance of order, but foolish to expect illegality to stop completely, local residents said.
A local resident said that the bank vendor voice and, naturally, get protection.
Complain about loud music playing hut, locals said they stopped when police arrived only to restart after they leave.
“A shack in my neighborhood played loud music right from the morning, everyday.
I’ve called the police several times, in addition to the tourism department.
They directed me to contact the tourist police, “said the resident Calangute Cais D’Silva.
Hut playing loud music outside 22:00 are quite common, because it is a tactic to draw the crowds in the country, police said, adding that when asked, pointing operator 10 other people are involved in some or other illegality.
“We sent a report to the tourism department of the excesses of beach shacks,” he said.
A senior tourism official said that it is unacceptable that the police can not control the vendor or masseuse, or that they can not act against female vendor or masseuse.
In connection with illegality by the beach huts, he said, every time the team was sent to inspection at any beach, it is cleaned before it reaches the team.
To fight it, he said that it will introduce an application to collect evidence of infringement pictorial beach shack policy.
Goa: Low numbers, tourist police have not made an impact
