MAPUSA
While the members of the Goa Legislative Assembly on Wednesday expressed concern over the rise of accidents in the State and called for proactive steps to prevent road mishaps, the government said it was doing everything possible to bring down the number and also urged the citizens to take precautions.
Margao MLA Digambar Kamat said the alarming rise in accidental deaths was a cause for concern and urged both preventive and punitive action to arrest the trend.
He said as per the records produced by the government, most of the accidents in the last four years have occurred in the jurisdiction of Ponda, Maina-Curtorim, Mapusa, Bicholim, Pernem and Verna police stations.
“The government should focus more on prevention rather than punitive action. We do not want Goa to be an accident-prone State,” Kamat said.
He said a former IPS officer Dr P S Pasricha an expert in traffic management had conducted a study of traffic related issues in the State several years back and offered some good suggestions.
“The government should go through that report and implement the suggestions if it is in the interest of the State,” he said.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant informed that 174 people lost their lives in road accidents in 2022 while driving licences of 4,415 persons were suspended for various traffic-related offences in the same year.
He said till June this year 93 people died in road mishaps while licences of 1,590 persons were suspended till end of May.
“It’s a serious problem and the government is doing all it can to arrest the trend. Three departments “ Traffic cell, PWD and Transport “ are working in tandem to prevent road mishaps. We conduct public interactions and invite suggestions from the people, some of which are implemented,” Sawant said.
He assured to look into the suggestions made by Dr P S Pasricha and implement them, if need be.
Nuvem MLA Aleixo Sequeira said that there are several spots where the youth gather and drink and police are aware of such spots.
“Bulk of the accidents happened due to drink and drive. If the police can raid such spots the rate of accidents will come down,” he said.
Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas said the bad road conditions were also one of the prime reasons for accidents to take place.
"If we provide good quality of roads and with proper road engineering then road mishaps will definitely reduce,” Viegas said.
Quepem MLA Altone D’Costa said there is no fear of the authority among the people which allows them to drive rashly and get away with it.
Leader of Opposition, Yuri Alemao said the Transport Department and the PWD should coordinate to fix the black spots.
