Pratiksha Khalap demands disclosure of permissions, safety measures and anti-drug safeguards; asks whether CM, ministers and Mandrem MLA were aware

PANAJI, 16 August:
The Goa Pradesh Mahila Congress has trained its guns on the State Government over the three-day “Freedom Blast 2026” event advertised at Westend Jungle, Mandrem, questioning how a large event coinciding with the Independence Day weekend was being handled amid the government’s repeated claims of cracking down on drugs and ensuring public safety.

Goa Pradesh Mahila Congress President Dr. Pratiksha Khalap demanded that the government disclose the permissions and safety arrangements for the event, scheduled from August 14 to 16. She stressed that the Congress was neither opposing music and tourism nor accusing the organisers of any offence, but was seeking transparency from the authorities responsible for granting permissions and enforcing the law.

Khalap asked whether the venue had been inspected by the police, fire services and local authorities and whether adequate arrangements had been made for traffic management, crowd control, fire safety, emergency medical response and the safety of women.

“Goans have a right to know whether every statutory requirement has been fulfilled,” Khalap said, invoking Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s oft-repeated phrase “Bhivpachi garaz na” and asking whether the administration had actually verified all safety, traffic, fire and law-and-order arrangements for an event of this scale.

‘What about the government’s war against drugs?’

Khalap also sought answers regarding measures to prevent narcotics from reaching such large gatherings. She said a government that repeatedly claims to be fighting Goa’s drug menace cannot afford gaps in enforcement.

“What specific measures are in place to prevent narcotics from entering or being used at such large events?” she asked.

Khalap questioned whether Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane and Mandrem MLA Jit Arolkar were aware of the event and the arrangements surrounding it.

“If they are aware, what measures have they directed to ensure public and women’s safety? If they are not aware, then it raises serious questions about coordination and accountability in the administration,” she said.

The Mahila Congress chief accused the government of risking a perception of double standards, saying Goa cannot project a tough stance against drugs on one hand while failing to publicly answer legitimate questions about safeguards at major events on the other.

“Enforcement must be consistent, not selective,” Khalap asserted.

She maintained that tourism, music and entertainment are important to Goa’s economy but cannot be allowed to compromise women’s safety, public order or efforts against narcotics.

Khalap therefore called upon the government to immediately make public the relevant permissions and spell out the safety protocols, traffic arrangements, fire preparedness, medical facilities and narcotics-prevention measures put in place for the Mandrem event.

“The people of Goa deserve transparency and accountability. The government must come clean,” she said.