BY AUGUSTO RODRIGUES
An attempt to reach the police outpost in Arambol shows the odious hypocrisy of the Government of Goa with regard to the creation of infrastructure to make tourism in Goa more sustainable.
The police outpost at Arambol, a central hub for foreign and Indian tourists, is a painting of total neglect. Getting there is a worry, and once there, one begins to wonder how the men deployed to man the outpost are able to perform their duty.
Situated in a building that was once a primary school, the police outpost is dilapidated, with some tiles in the room that receives people broken.
The road to it gets flooded and is a mess of muck when it rains, and the working facilities for the one assistant inspector, three constables and three home guards – working on one shift – are negligible.
The men wear a smile despite the obvious disenchantment. “The officials from PWD keep visiting the place and keep promising to repair the place, and we keep hoping for the best,” claims Assistant Inspector Parsekar.
“I know the conditions are bad, but we have requested the PWD to repair the premises. We are, anyway, supposed to shift to a new place,” discloses Sachin Lokre, Police Inspector (PI) of Pernem Police Station, though not able to confirm a tentative timeframe for the shift or the repair of the existing premise.
The Arambol Police Outpost caters to the villages of Keri, Ashvem, Morjim, Junas Waddo and Arambol – all tourist hotspots in the extreme north. Yet the police outpost is equipped with only one Robin (the code name for a police motorbike).
“A jeep is dispatched for emergencies, and we have to walk to the main road to avail its services,” states a staff member on the condition of anonymity.
“This police outpost, and I am sure there must be more, is testimony to the lies of the government that they want to make tourism sustainable by improving infrastructure,” states Anand with a grin laced with mockery.
“What will anyone think as he walks to the outpost?” he scornfully asks.
Despite the heavy rains, “Over forty rent-a-car vehicles visited the beach till the afternoon,” claims Xavier, who collects the toll for cars and bikes parked near the beach.
“It’s a bit low because of the heavy rains,” he admits while disclosing that “Rs 50 is charged for cars and Rs 20 for bikes.”
Despite the beach being dirty, human activity is visible on Arambol Beach, with some shacks that seem to be closed, nonetheless serving alcohol to the Indian tourists who came in after getting drenched on the beach.
“Yes, it is raining. But, this is the only time of the year when we can come to Goa. The rain feels clean here, and there is nothing like dancing on a beach when it is raining,” chimed Urpita from North India.
“The beach is dirty, and we know it is not possible to swim during this time of the year, so we decided to play on the sand when it is raining,” chipped in Shobha, as she walked into a half-open shack.
Most of the stalls on the Arambol main street are closed, but a few Russians can be still seen walking around and dodging the fast-moving rent-a-cabs moving through the area.
“It’s been raining pretty badly for the last two days, but the Indian tourists have still been coming. Most don’t stay here, and I guess they come just to have a look at the place,” quips Manu from Russia, who is seeing her second monsoon in Arambol.
As the rains beat down on Arambol with the Indian tourists unperturbed on the beach, the water on the path leading to the police outpost reaches ankle level and keeps rising.
The water drips through the broken roof in the office, and one begins to wonder at the predicament of the staff working at night when the power supply is interrupted.
“We work with candlelight at night when the lights go off,” says a staff, subtly exposing the link between lies and reality that the government propounds, expecting the tourists dancing on Arambol Beach and the locals to believe them.
