The story of the government’s surrender to law breakers on the controversial coast
Desmond Alvares makes no noise. He just hears noise. Thelast time he protested against ear splitting noise levels from HillTop, guesswhat happened. His house got stoned, in the presence of the police.
Clara Bocarro just wants to sleep. That’s clearly asking fortoo much. She also wants to walk freely on the village roads without a surge ofdrugged out rave lovers, who have trampled the village and its residents.
A village synonymous with the great Goan dream of unshackledrevelry has become a nightmare for its chained residents. The Goan has reportedthis relentlessly. Four nightclubs have not only dominated nightlife but allthe ills that go with it – Curlie’s, Hippies, UV Bar and Hilltop. This time wewent further.
Technology met tact in our reportage as we used a newandroid application on one of our smartphones to check sound levels emanating fromthese four places after sunset, at different times to record decibel levels ofmusic three times the permissible levels.
Our noise level motoring (see ‘How did we do it’) is thesimplest yet damaging proof of how, Anjuna residents are forced to sufferillegal sleep and health disturbing music played above limits and of coursebeyond permissible times.
The more significant truth is of the government’s abjectsurrender to the stranglehold of those who run these clubs. They are declaredillegal but they run. They play music which shatters the peace and yet the lawturns a deaf ear. And their use as sale points for drugs, is becoming less of adebate but more about getting the law to put its arm in these places.
Nothing matters – Complaints and FIRs. A high court order holdingthe station in charge responsible and the sound act itself has been silenced,in a willing suspension of belief.
