Bunkers planned on Goa beaches

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Bunkers_planned_on_Goa_beaches/articleshow/3816146.cms

Policemen deployed with wireless and binoculars....phew, we can sleep safe in our beds now!!!!

They must be looking for sellers and massage girls to bribe!! Alan

The police dont quite "get it" do they. I've only ever seen the police taking bribes never actually doing any police work as such.. Was pleased to here some got suspended on a random spot check on a road block by the head of police as they were taking money from the public!

That sounds great provided they attack during the day. If they cannot even provide adequate body armour, there is no way thay will have night vision equipment. New Years Eve seem to be the time to avoid the beach I think!

We are still going to the beach with the Dunkirk spirit (not to mention all the other spirits!). Can't let them spoil my holiday.

Don't think we'll have any option about avoiding the beach New Years Eve, just received a text from a friend who tells me all clubs in North Goa closing from 22nd December until after New Year. No food to be served on the beach after 10.30pm and all shacks closing at 11.00pm.

I don't really think the terrorists are bothered about what time it is when they strike, before or after midnight. If they are going to do something they will do it. Places are going to be crowded at any time around Christmas/New Year. We will wait and see. They can't shut Goa down over this period and hope nothing will happen. If they do they will find themselves very short of tourists next season. We will not pay the prices they expect at this time of the year if we can't go out of the hotel.

I totally agree with you. If they're gonna do it time has nothing to do with it. I am not going to Goa to stay in the Hotel all Christmas and New Year. Of course it makes you feel a little nervy but when you're used to spending your Christmas relaxing and enjoying the sunshine in good Company what is the alternative? 2-3 weeks in London where we still run the risks, not so appealing somehow.

I'll stick to Goa - I'm fairly sure that when we get there all of the uneasiness we may have felt will dissapear after a few drinks and a few good curries.

A sandbagged bunker has been placed at the beach entrance to the Goan Heritage Hotel manned by ONE soldier with one oldish rifle( reported in the press today that orders have been placed for 300 modern rifles such as the Mumbai terrorists used) Just in case they took the terrorists by surprise the news of bunkers and locations were published locally. Presumabley any terrorist group will now land in darkness a little up the beach then simply walk up the other side of the hotel and in the main unguarded gateway. I'ts good of the Goan authorities to keep the bad guys up to speed with their plans, very thoughtfull of them, you'd laugh, but really the incompetance at every level in this difficult time for Goa, is staggering. Alan

But not surprising Alan

Just read an interesting article which makes even more of a mockery of security in Goa which states that Security businesses in Goa are on the up due to recent events in India. Instead of a couple of job enquiries a day that a company previously received, they now receive 6 or 7 per day. The posts on offer and the costs charged for their services are as follows:

A guard for "ornamental purposes" costs 4000 rs per month
An educated security guard costs 5 - 6000 rs per month
An educated and "tough" guard costs 8000 rs per month

Looks like you get what you pay for - guess which of these guards will be on protection duty in Goa I would like to laugh out loud but really it aint funny - so all those Tuf Ninjers over there are for "ornamental purposes" only

http://www.navhindtimes.com/story.php?story=2008121657

Todays story in the Navhindtimes

Sounds like this is the final nail in the coffin for tourism in North Goa 'strip'. This combined with aggressive taxi touting, general safety of single tourists, and a general feeling of doom and gloom from local businesses is sure to hit the charter market anyway.

There was a general feeling of apathy amongst locals in November, goodness knows what it is like now.

I don't think I'll be back till 2010, would like to think things will have recovered by then.

So the Goan government now want to aggressively promote Goa to the British - pity they didn't think of that BEFORE they referred to us as dregs. As for security on the beaches, it appears that the removal of a few extra sunbeds continues to outweigh this "minor" issue. It just gets dafter and dafter doesn't it

But......I am still going in March (please don't ask me why because I am not sure if I could answer that after reading whats been happening over the last couple of days) Maybe I'm the one who is daft

Been reading the local goan newspapers and security is going to be stepped up please dont ridicule people who are doing what they think is there best (even though it may not be to our best standards) atleast they are trying to do something not just ignoring it.It might spoil a few partys but there in a situation where they cant win if they let everything be normal and something happend they lose if they try and something happens they still lose but atleast they are trying thats the main point
hopefully after all this fiasco we can all laugh but please dont laugh just yet
sharon

http://www.indopia.in/India-usa-uk-news/latest-news/456555/National/1/20/1

The amount of sun beds is a different issue
we were at palolem a few years ago just after the police along with a jcb and a mob of workers knocked half of the place down The damage was terrible
If the law says 20 beds then its 20 beds why should some get away with it and not others when they all pay the tax for the same amount of beds same goes for beach huts you pay tax for each hut Only a few weeks ago the top brass there got suspended for taking bribes (bakeesh) its taking its toll going down the ladder so to speak untill its all forgotten Untill then the shacks on the baga calungute candolin beaches will have abide with the rules that they knew about when they applied for there 2008/09 licence
I know the police are alittle heavy handed but this is not our country to say how they handle it But the shack owners do and they take the risk or profit ......

sharons husband

I quite agree with you, the law is the law, however the point I was trying to make is that the police seem more interested in getting their baksheesh for removing sunbeds than promoting (rather more importantly) security measures. I would think their time could be better spent patrolling the beaches on the look out for dodgy characters rather than counting how many sunbeds a shack has - it is surely about what is the the priority of the moment and in my opinion sunbeds are not a priority.

As for ridiculing their efforts - well, what can I say In all the years I have been going to Goa, they aint got it right yet although I agree they are trying

ssharonuk wrote:

security is going to be stepped up

........Note it says "is going to be" - How many weeks is it since Mumbai happened

Forget the sunbeds guys, get on with protecting the people of (and in) Goa - a sunbed doesn't kill anybody
Just my opinion - Fizz