The old year is creeping to an end and in every State there will be celebrations, gatherings and parties. In Goa too there would be ‘Grape Escapade’ in which people trample on grapes to extract the juice for wine, cake baking, exhibitions, open-air dances and many more. At these events thousands of people participate or attend and it is difficult to control the crowd. This is more so on beaches where there is a constant influx of people. In the background of the car blast near Red Fort on Nov 10 and seizure of tonnes of explosives, the merry-making sites could be hotspot for any untoward happenings and innocent people could become sitting targets. Indoor celebrations could be encouraged with safety measures in place such as scanning the bags, use of metal detectors, checking the participants, sniffer dogs, CCTV cameras and security persons. Agreed, that tourism and economics may be affected if outdoor events are stopped and/or restricted, but it is better to be safe than to be sorry later.
