People visit Goa not for drugs now, but for beaches and cuisine, says new state DGP

Panaji: Goa’s new Director General of Police (DGP) Jaspal Singh has said that people visit the coastal state not for drugs any more, but for its beaches, cuisine and culture. Singh, who took charge as the DGP on Thursday replacing IPS officer Indradev Shukla, also said that he does not want people to remember Goa for drugs. ”Now, people don’t come to Goa in search of drugs. They instead pay visit to the state for its natural beauty, beaches, local cuisine, culture, music, etc. Culture and food has been developed as the new USP (unique selling proposition) of Goa,” Singh said in first press conference after taking over the charge.

A lot has been done by the Goa police in the past to control the drug menace in the state, he said.

”We do not want people to remember Goa for drugs. Action against the drug trade has been a priority not only for me, but for my predecessors as well,” he added. Every policeman is trying his best to curb the drug menace and the fight will continue even in future utilising all the available resources, Singh said. The drug cartels work ”intelligently”, due to which coordinated efforts of various agencies are required to control them. ”If you consider the situation in the past, I would say that we have been able to make a dent on narcotic suppliers,” he added.