The local franchisee of the Playboy Club yesterday announced its plans to open India's first club at Candolim in Goa. This would be the first among its chain of 100 clubs the local franchisee intends to open in the next ten years.
Director of Tourism Nikhil Desai told PTI he has no idea about the club, although the application may have been processed by the department. "They might have applied under some other name and may brand it as Playboy Club," he said.
Desai warned that the club would be asked to shut down if it is found to be indulging in obscenity, vulgarity or nudity. "We don't mind if club runs provided they abide by all laws of the land," he said.
The tourism department will immediately withdraw the permission if they are found flouting rules, Desai said, adding, such a withdrawal by the tourism department would also make all other permissions granted to the club null and void.
While government authorities want to monitor what happens inside the club, a local women's organisation today said that such a club was "not wanted in the state".
Auda Viegas, chief of Bailancho Ekvott, a leading women's organisation, said the police and the government had no mechanism to keep a tab on what could happen inside the club.
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"Goa's latest aim is to invite all things which are anti-social and bad for society. This club is banned everywhere. What system do we have in place to check what's going on inside the club," she said.
"We have not been able to check places like dance bars, pubs, events organised by outsiders in Goa where women are trafficked. It's not fair that Playboy Club is allowed in Goa," Viegas said.