PERNEM
Huge traffic snarls were witnessed along the coastal belt as thousands of tourists flocked the State to celebrate Christmas and New Year.
Life virtually came to a standstill for local residents due to haphazard parking and congestion on roads with all the parking lots and empty spaces full with vehicles.
The vehicular traffic was so huge that some land owners opened the gates and let out their premises as pay parking.
Hotels, resorts and guest houses were filled to capacity. However, the flow of foreign tourists seemed to be low.
The coastal areas of Pernem, Morjim, Ashwem, Mandrem, Harmal, Keri, Terekhol were teeming with vehicles as these are the most happening party places.
Most of the resorts, hotels and restaurants had live music, disk jockeys and performers to entertain the tourists.
Meanwhile, although the men-in-uniform were in full force, they had a tough time to regulate the tourist traffic along the coastal belt. This year, the usual 500-odd traffic cops were increased to around 800, with the possibility of further expansion by sourcing from units within Goa Police.
Police have also armed themselves with alcometers to check drunken driving.
