A tragedy at sea was averted on Sunday, thanks to the timely rescue by the Coast Guard. A boat with tourists on a tour was stranded off the coast of Dona Paula luckily to be detected by the Coast Guard close to sunset. It was disclosed that the vessel did not have the requisite permissions to operate, and the operator was navigating the vessel in a rash and negligent manner.
The incident could have been catastrophic, had it not been for the Coast Guard. A day after the incident, charges flew thick and thin. A livid tourism minister blamed the Captain of Ports saying it is still issuing permits for boats despite a circular specifically directing not to give further permissions for tourist boats at Sinquerim. “The North Goa coastal belt is flooded with tourist boats exceeding the carrying capacity of beaches”, he charged, adding that very soon an expert agency will be roped in to carry out an audit on beach carrying capacity. He also held out a warning that his department would take strict action against boat operators undertaking water sports activities without obtaining permission from the department.
Let's not forget, that this is not the first of its kind incident. If we may recall in October 2014, three Russian tourists drowned after one of two boats carrying 33 foreigners capsized after hitting a huge wave off Canaguinim beach. The operator of the boat was arrested for navigating in a rash and negligent manner and endangering the lives of occupants. If we go further down memory lane, around a decade and a half back, nine tourists from UP drowned while on a boat trip.
One of the most horrific accidents which were reported by this newspaper was of an 84-year-old German who has been a regular visitor to Goa along with his wife, and how he lost five fingers and suffered serious hand injuries while one paraglider had a faulty take-off at Betalbatim. Last year, around 15 water sports-related accidents were reported at various beaches in Goa with Palolem accounting for the highest number. It was also reported that the majority of the accidents have been reported during boat rides and paragliding.
The State has been waking up only after such incidents. Despite the occasional shrieks of anger from those heading departments, nothing much has changed on the ground. Khaunte’s idea of undertaking an audit is a good one, but that’s a thought that has been floating around for decades. Goa’s popular beaches have been flooded with beach beds and other illegalities, but that disorder continues even now.
In the current scenario, the tourism department has blamed the CoP for not stopping permits despite being told to. The CoP maintains that its role is restricted to only ensuring the fitness and safety parameters of the vessels, and overseeing operations is beyond the department’s jurisdiction.
The question is, who is responsible? Whose job is it to check into licenses and ensure compliance? Whose duty is it to ensure the safety of tourists and passengers? Who is in charge of enforcement? Departments blaming each other, and speaking about plans which have been elusive for years, does not help. The tourism department mentions that it will crack down on illegal operators, the question is, why was action not taken all this while?
Goa is primarily known as a beach destination, but the chaos and the lack of management are the worrying factors. It is sad that despite the risks involved, authorities have not acted. Protocols have to be defined and monitoring systems streamlined. There have to be checks and balances in place before tragedies strike.
