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Stealth teams to conduct spot tests for narcotics during year-end parties: Goa Police
Police teams will be deployed in and around popular party hotspots in the UT’s coastal belt of Calangute and Anjuna, including at the venue of the Sunburn festival
The Goa Police has deployed special teams, with devices like Raman spectrophotometers, to conduct spot checks of suspicious substances and mobile rapid screening test system to test for narcotics consumption around the New Year’s Eve.
According to North Goa superintendent of police Nidhin Valsan, the teams will be deployed in and around popular party hotspots in the UT’s coastal belt of Calangute and Anjuna, including at the venue of Sunburn, three-day year end EDM festival that begins on December 28.
“Senior experts from the forensic lab, along with officials from the crime branch, have been constituted into a special team and they will be present at the Sunburn venue and the periphery in Anjuna and Calangute. They will be patrolling and if they suspect anyone of drug peddling or even consuming drugs, will put such people through vigorous testing. We have deployed some special devices, such as Raman spectrophotometer to check for narcotics and a mobile rapid screening test system – the swab sample of the person can be taken, and the machine can tell whether the person is under the influence of drugs or not,” he said.
“These teams will be present in the entire tourist belt,” he added.
According to Valsan, the state police will be deploying around 1,200 personnel, including trainees and reserve police force, not just from the narcotics standpoint but also managing crowds, and noise pollution levels as stressed by the high court.
“We have made elaborate arrangements to ensure safety and security of all tourists as well as people who are in and around the venue. From the traffic point also, there is a comprehensive plan to ensure a smooth flow of traffic to ensure that the people do not face difficulties. Regarding noise pollution as per the HC directions, special teams have been deployed to ensure all rules are followed in the area,” he added.
Goa has been witnessing a surge in tourist arrivals prompting traffic snarls, sold-out hotels and revelry on the streets.
Meanwhile, chief minister Pramod Sawant has assured that Goa is “closely monitoring” the rise in Covid-19 cases, especially of the new variant of concern that is currently dominant in the state.
Goa recorded 16 new cases of Covid-19 over the past 24 hours ending on December 27, taking the state’s total active caseload to 52, according to official figures.
