Road tragedies hit Goa again on Sunday, with three youngsters losing their lives in two separate accidents. In Vasco, three boys evading a police chase hit the rear wheels of a KTC shuttle bus at Khariwada, resulting in two deaths, while the third suffered grievous injuries. In another accident, a Utorda youth heading home crashed against a mini-truck at a junction at Verna. These two fatal accidents come days after a six-year-old child was knocked down by a speeding car near the BITS Pilani complex along the Zuarinagar highway. April has left a deathly trail of accidents that had even one policeman on the list of fatalities.
While accidents continue to haunt motorists and everyday citizens, the consistent pleas to intensify road surveillance and undertake course correction at trouble spots have gone unheard while the attention has been on who can issue a challan and how much money is raked in.
Much has been spoken about drunken driving, reckless driving, over-speeding, faulty road engineering, poor conditions of roads, poor enforcement, etc., and these have been part of everyday discourse over the years. The question is, despite identifying a host of factors, why is the State failing to contain accidents?
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant stated that most accidents are due to drunken driving. Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho has found comfort in the fact that compensation formalities have been simplified. There is a road safety policy in place. There are panels in place to study accidents and submit reports. There is a road safety council and district road safety teams in place. There have been public meetings and awareness campaigns on road safety. Sawant says there are three government departments on the job -- Transport Department, Police and PWD. However, despite all these engagements, why are there tragedies almost every day? The State has recorded over 270 road deaths in 2022, and the year 2023 is turning out to be worse. As of April, Goa has recorded over 900 accidents which resulted in 104 fatalities.
The passing of the buck has to stop. Helplessness in tackling rash and negligent driving and blaming it on irresponsible motorists does not solve the problem. The Director General of Police tried to cushion the blame in February with statistics of challans issued. He said February saw a 12 per cent dip in accidents and explained that 47,000 people were booked for traffic violations (Rs 2 crore collected in fines in a single month). Has this helped to change the overall picture?
While motorists must be more responsible on the road, the enforcement cannot take comfort in challans and fines or express sheer helplessness over road accidents. Stringent policing is still the need of the hour. Goa has found success on its shoreline with the engagement of a private agency, and the results are there to see, with 500-700 lives saved annually. Also, the beach safety system continues to evolve, and providing security for those at sea has been a priority to those on the job, irrespective of the challenges faced.
On the road, it's been another story. Policing holds the primary responsibility, and the buck stops with the enforcement. Police helplessness over the lack of manpower cannot be accepted in an era where we are talking big about development and showcasing ourselves as a global tourist destination. It's time to stop the loose talk and start taking action so that results are seen.
