ANJUNA: A hundred-odd protesters from Anjuna and Vagator met again on Friday to send out a stronger message that the voice of the people will not be silenced neither by loud music nor the government’s visible hand.
This was a group that held their candles to throw light on what they felt was yet another betrayal.
The ‘assurance’ of Anjuna PI Paresh Naik that no music will be allowed after 10 pm. Within four hours of this assurance, the loud music started again from multiple clubs who had in any case brazenly advertised that the show will go through the night.
Over hundred-odd protestors, children, old, priests, nuns, etc, walked to the police station at 8 pm, as loud music could be heard all around and with neither the PI nor his deputy present, it became clear that dissent was being stifled.
And the protester were not ready to give in. “I cannot study when I need to; I cannot sleep when I have to. If the people attending such parties want to ruin their lives, they are free too, but please don’t ruin mine,” pleaded college going Stacie D’Souza. With no senior police present at the police station till 9 pm, the protestors decided to march towards the clubs playing music beyond permissible limits. As they reached club Vamos, at 10.15 pm, the music became slow and within minutes the lights were put off. People could be seen outside waiting to go inside whilst the protestors could see people inside, watching those outside.
“It is a shame that our MLA Delilah Lobo, who had a meeting yesterday, is not with us today. We now know, she is swinging to her master’s tunes and her words are hogwash,” countered Dr Inacio Fernandes during an impromptu interaction with the press outside the club.
Despite no sound of music, the roads to clubs that had advertised four days party were full with vehicles moving to clubs that had lights on, but no music playing.
“What happened yesterday will repeat today. Once we go home, the music will start and the ladies will be made to sit till four in the morning with no solution in sight,” prophesised Agnes D’Souza, who is familiar with the ways of the establishment.
Anjuna acting PI Paresh Naik had assured villagers during the meeting with MLA Delilah Lobo that he would be physically present during all days when parties were announced. His absence on Friday did not surprise many after the police turned deaf to loud music after one am till morning on Friday.
With no sign of the PI, the protestors contacted Deputy Superintendent of Police, who promised the protestors that no music will be allowed to be played.
“After what happened in the presence of the MP, it is hard to believe now,” concluded Charbel D’Souza, as the protestors began living with no hope, but a resolve to come together again, if music was allowed to be played after one in the morning.
Goan businesses in Anjuna-Vagator based on family tourism are ruined by illegal EDM parties
Loud music, defying High Court orders has another victim; the small Goan tourism stakeholder; guest house bookings have dropped, local restaurants have little business
VAGATOR: The incessant all-night High Court defying loud music is victimising the local Goan who fed his family by running small guest houses, food joints or restaurants. For years their families had fixed medium to long-term clients, mainly foreigners. This business has kept them going - not for years, but for generations.
The issue of locals losing customers who either come to stay or frequent their restaurants stood out when Rita Ali, who has a homestay and restaurant in Vagator, said: “My customers have stopped using my restaurant.”
“They cannot bear the noise around nor do they use our rooms because they cannot sleep the whole night or day and our MLA says we have to do sacrifices to let tourism survive,” Rita said.
“Tourism as an industry should help us sustain ourselves, but here we have an MLA who wants outsiders to reap the harvest by breaking laws and putting us in a loss. We have lost our guests now because of these people who are allowed to play loud music to sustain themselves,” mocks Dwayne Pereira from Anjuna.
Cirilo De Souza, a local hotelier in Anjuna, who runs a small hotel with under ten rooms, says, “We have repeat foreigner guests for years. It was a great relationship. My regular guests used to ensure that my place was booked for almost seven months. But not anymore. They tell me Goa has changed and have moved to cheaper places that are cleaner and with better facilities.”
Right through the three meetings called by Siolim MLA Delilah Lobo, locals had maintained that they were losing business because of the noise pollution, but Lobo managed to sidestep the issue by claiming adjustments had to be done to sustain the industry.
At whose cost? The answer is crystallising with Javish Moniz who owns a guest house claiming: “I am not only losing customers due to the noise pollution from W but some of my foreign guests have even complained to the police and their complaints were ignored.”
“My customers have complained over the phone and one of my guests from Netherlands even sent a complaint through an email to the police and the noise has continued at the cost of my business,” says an upset Moniz.
The noise is not only affecting foreign tourists but Indians who prefer to work from home living around the northern coastal belt. Some locals working from home, attached to companies based in Europe and America, have been unable to do so because of the noise.
“Our MLA does not seem to realise that these are people who work at night with companies based abroad, and with the loud noise it is just not possible. For some strange reason, the interests of these people who play loud music appears dear to her heart than her own voters,” laments Antonio Moraes who alleges, regulars to his famous restaurant Blue Bird are now stepping in trickles.
“Our MLA has made it very clear during the three meetings she called us for that her interests are not with us the locals, but these people from outside who come here because they can break the law and treat us like dirt. We did not elect her for this,” reasoned Ruby Fernandes from Chinvar, Anjuna, as they prepared for the second protest march on Friday.