Madgavkars demand action from authorities as municipal garden and comunidade square become hotspots for crime and disorder
Despite police action, people continue to sleep on the benches of the iconic Margao municipal garden.
Photo Credits: Santosh Mirajkar
MARGAO
After the video showing a group of migrants in a brawl near the Margao Comunidade square went viral, triggering outrage, Madgavkars wonder whether the system has failed to stem the rot, wherein the iconic Municipal garden is reduced to a gambling and anti-social den; the Comunidade square a haven for migrant vendors and the road behind the municipal building a bustling migrant labour market.
The Margao police did make their presence felt at the municipal garden to drive away people sleeping on the benches, but Madgavkars questioned whether the Men-in-Uniform would maintain the heat to stop the misuse of the garden by drunkards and gamblers.
After the video went viral on social media, a local citizen Vivek Naik said the once iconic garden is reduced to a den due to the lack of action by the authorities.
“I still remember our childhood days when we used to visit the garden every day and play on the horses. In the evenings, people used to listen to the radio news," Naik said.
"Sadly, we have reached a state wherein people cannot even walk on the garden footpaths and sit on the benches. We find people sleeping on the garden benches, and liquor bottles and food littering the surroundings. Inside, we find people engaged in gambling activity. In the recent past, the police had conducted narcotic raids. This only goes to show the state of affairs in the municipal garden,” Naik added.
He pointed out that there’s no regulation or control on the bustling migrant labour market just behind the Margao municipal garden. “We find around 200-300 migrants standing on the road in the wee hours of the day. Have the police ever tried to check the backgrounds of these migrants? If criminals enter the crowd, it could pose a danger to people hiring their services," he added.
Naik has called for authorities, including the district collector, police, mamlatdar, and Margao Municipal Council, to take action and verify the backgrounds of these migrants.
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Margao MLA responds to social media criticism over brawl
MARGAO: With questions raised on social media following a brawl amongst migrants at the Margao Comunidade Square, Margao MLA Digambar Kamat questioned whether one can expect an MLA or even the media to stay awake throughout the night to see what’s happening in their neighbourhood.
Saying he goes to sleep every night at 10 pm and wakes up in the wee hours of the day at 5 am, Kamat sought to know how the MLA is to be blamed if the migrants were engaged in a brawl late at night in the city.
“The video that went viral showed the migrants fighting in an inebriated state. Questions were raised on social media about whether the MLA is sleeping when people fight on the streets. I do not know how they can blame the MLA for the brawl. Is there any expectation that the MLA ought to have been present at the incident site? Maybe there are some people who stay awake throughout the night for reasons best known to them.”
He asked: “Are media persons staying awake throughout the night with their cameras? Do they move around the city the entire night with their cameras?”
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Free food behind migrant influx at municipal garden: Kamat
MARGAO: Saying that the police have started cracking a whip against those sleeping on the Margao Municipal garden benches, Margao MLA Digambar Kamat attributed the presence of beggars and other migrants at the municipal garden to the free food provided by some organisations.
He said the people go to the municipal garden just because they are provided food by some organisations. He, however, said that the Margao police have been instructed to take strict action against those involved in anti-social activities around the garden, as well as against business activities in the Comunidade Square and on the Margao station road.
The Margao MLA said that instructions have been issued not to allow any vendors at the Comunidade Square. He further told the media that Margao municipal officials have acted against vegetable vendors on the Margao station road, adding that the seized vegetables were later distributed to the orphanages and other NGOs.
