NT NETWORK
VASCO
Residents of St Jacinto Island have demanded that the police authorities should intensify night patrolling at St Jacinto bridge and restore non-functional CCTVs on the bridge in order to stop nefarious activities that happen under the guise of darkness.
Residents of St Jacinto Island said that the bridge was constructed for the benefit of the islanders, as during the rains the causeway earlier used to get flooded, causing immense inconvenience and hardships to the people. They said that the bridge construction was also aimed at protecting the sea fauna.
However, they said with the illumination of the bridge stretch, people from other areas started visiting the bridge during evening and nighttime. The island is also a venue for wedding ceremonies and parties.
Gradually, the stretch gained notoriety for illegal activities. Indulgence by certain section of visitors, especially youngsters who come in vehicles late at nights, into breaking of empty liquor bottles has become the order of the day.
Dabolim MLA Mauvin Godinho, taking a serious view of the issue, has directed the police personnel to intensify patrolling during night time. The close circuit television cameras that were installed for round-the-clock surveillance on the bridge around two years ago are presently in a non-functional state.
With this, night visits by youngsters has again increased on the bridge.
“Visitors, mostly youngsters, break liquor bottles and scatter them in the open,” stated a woman resident, who had suffered a cut from broken pieces of bottles on the bridge.
She said the concerned authorities including the panchayat should take immediate action against those who indulge in nuisance and nefarious activities. Chicalim sarpanch Nilam Naik said that she has already spoken to the police inspector of Vasco police station as regards intensifying night patrolling at St Jacinto bridge.
“I have discussed the issue pertaining to the nefarious activities which are reported on the bridge with the local police authorities wherein the police have assured me of taking immediate action,” Naik said.
“Vasco PI Nolasco Raposo has taken the matter seriously and he himself carries out patrolling during nighttime, wherein he has nabbed some youth who were found loitering on the bridge by consuming alcohol,” Naik added.
On the issue of non-functional close circuit television cameras, she said she would discuss the issue with the ruling panch members and also with Dabolim MLA Godinho in order to come out with a solution in order to bare the maintenance cost of the installed close circuit television cameras,” said Naik.
Meanwhile, the residents of Adarshnagar Chicalim also have demanded that the Vasco police should intensify patrolling during nighttime in Adarshnagar locality in view of house break-ins and other minor thefts.