Goa is having another excruciatingly lean tourist season and the recent spate of accidents will bring down the numbers even further. Road accidents occur with alarming frequency, with one fatality being recorded every day. This is due to bad roads, gross negligence, poor safety culture, wrong highway engineering, drunken drivers, and lack of enforcement of rules.
Water sports are quite popular in Goa with tourists, especially with those who come from landlocked states. Recently, a boat carrying revellers near Fort Aguada witnessed engine failure in rough seas and the vessel drifted dangerously close to the rocky coastline. It was only due to the brave lifeguards that the stranded tourists were safely brought ashore.
Parasailing activities at Varca have raised safety concerns after a parachute got entangled in a coconut tree. Unlicensed operators without proper safety gear or trained personnel rule the roost in such activities. The government has to deal with these systemic issues very strongly as public lives are at stake.
All these sports activities are conducted abroad too, but we rarely hear about such incidents due to strict safety measures in place, government oversight, stringent regulations, professional conduct, and registration of only qualified agencies. It is more than high time that the government wakes up and takes concrete action.
