The controversial beachside club 'Romeo Lane', located on the edge of the Anjuna coast is in the news again. Barely three months after the club voluntarily demolished part of a wooden structure that extended seawards after growing public outrage, the club clawed its way back and reportedly restarted work on a wooden extension. Romeo Lane going ahead without requisite permissions is a matter of larger debate, however the worrisome part here is that violations are increasingly becoming part and parcel of coastline business.
Not too long ago, the High Court of Bombay at Goa had ordered sealing 175 business establishments on the Anjuna-Caisua beach stretch for operating in illegal premises within the No Development Zone. The court took note of the fact that these businesses were operating in structures that had no requisite permissions from authorities. The Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority had identified 275 illegal constructions along the beach belt.
While several businesses went into appeals in March, the court rejected the multiple applications while ruling that permission from the village panchayat is mandatory for running a commercial establishment. It was also noted that many of the establishments had not taken other approvals besides the Occupancy Certificates. The Anjuna-Caisua panchayat has come under the court's fire repeatedly over failures to curb illegalities and has even been held incapable of identifying and sealing illegal structures. Time and again, the panchayat secretary has been exposed for failing to do his fundamental duty of overseeing illegalities.
Anjuna, along with neighbouring areas on the northern coastline, is embroiled in a complicated web of illegalities, where the dynamics of commerce, tourism, and real estate often clash with environmental and legal safeguards. The Romeo Lane development is yet another glaring example of how the attitude towards law enforcement has been grossly inconsistent reflecting on how the local administration is ensnared in its own bureaucracy. Either the authorities are too overwhelmed or too reluctant to enforce regulations. Or, it could be that the streams of corruption are flowing freely along these financially fertile areas.
The turn of events at Romeo Lane exposed the cracks in law enforcement. How can one explain the failure to act upon an illegality that is taking shape in full public view? Where are the authorities? The selective drives against encroachment that have seen illegal houses being demolished and families displaced make the larger picture of the crackdown look incomplete and nonsensical. There can’t be selective action where authorities operate on their whims or fancies, or at the behest of greater political powers. The sense of inequity stings for those who abide by the laws yet witness others benefiting from defiance.
Events unfolding along the coastline do cut out a sorry picture, and we must admit that merely voicing discontentment will not help. We say this because even the court’s observations and strictures have been ignored in the past.
The need of the hour is for practical mechanisms ensuring accountability, enhanced cooperation between administrative bodies, and stringent enforcement of laws. If places like Anjuna are to be saved from the clutches of lawlessness, authorities and the community, which stand as pillars, must work in perfect synchronization.
