A roadside disagreement at Candolim on Monday night escalated into a brawl with one of the involved parties whipping out a gun and allegedly threatening people. Road rage is the prime reason for the confrontations. Drunken driving, not following traffic rules, and over-speeding are some of the reasons for accidents involving tourists. However the general feeling among tourists is that they can get away lightly. Many of the tourists could be belonging to families with a political clout in their home states hence they feel that they cannot be touched by law-enforcement agencies in Goa. Tourists have also indulged in disruptions in residential areas like Fontainhas which has led to confrontations in the past. A Parra road appears to have been “hijacked” by the tourists. Disruptive actions by the tourists seem to be let off by the police only after a warning. There is a limit up to which locals can tolerate such misbehaviour. It appears that the limit has been crossed and the patience of the people has been tested for far too long. If things are not normalised, it could lead to a serious incident.
