MAPUSA
Stating that police and the RTO has failed to arrest the cases of drunken driving in the State, Congress MLA Carlos Ferreira on Tuesday demanded that checking for alcohol tests must be made routine rather than surprise (checks) and those found driving under the influence of alcohol should be booked for attempt to murder.
Ferreira also said that those performing stunts on either two-wheelers or four-wheelers should be also acted in a similar way to avoid putting the lives of other people at risk.
He also said all police stations/RTOs should be immediately supplied with alcometers or breathalyser kits.
“The act of brazen driving under the influence of alcohol appears to go on unchecked and with impunity, and I would accuse the police and the transport department of being complicit in these tragedies given the fact that neither the police nor Motor Vehicles Inspectors are carrying out regular checks to verify instances of driving under the influence of alcohol,” Ferreira said in a letter made to Chief Secretary, Transport Secretary, DGP and Directorate of Transport.
He said the number of cases of drunk driving indicated that there was complete lawlessness in the State.
“The manner in which drunken driving specially is causing deaths, not only lives of innocent Goans but also lives of innocent tourists or even workers is a testimony that there is total lawlessness in the streets of Goa,” he said.
He pointed out that the very fact that the Anjuna Police Inspector said that the report of the driver allegedly drunk will come in two to three days, is proof that the Anjuna Police do not have the required alcometers or breath analysers to effectively crack down on the menace.
The Congress MLA further suggested presence of police and RTO at venues where parties or shows or events are held.
“The very presence of the police/RTO will be enough to instil fear in the minds of these guests who will ensure that one person amongst them will not consume any alcohol or be inebriated,” he said.
He said the tourists who come to Goa were aware that there was no law here.
“This doesn’t happen in any other place. In Mumbai or Bengaluru the police are on the street 24 hours a day to check for drunk driving,” he said.
“It is evident from the behaviour of some tourists that money power has corrupted them into arrogance and this flaunting of wealth with arrogance with a boisterous care-a-damn attitude, is dangerous for Goa. The locals naturally get disturbed with such high-handed and abusive behaviour and sometimes end up assaulting the tourists,” Ferreira said.
