PRATIK PARAB
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PANJIM: Immediately after a gruesome fatal accident on July 29 this year when one woman and three men died when their car hit the railing on the Zuari Bridge and plunged into the river, the Goa government, in serious reality check promised to amend the law if needed, to effectively bring drunken driving under control.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has very rightly announced the way forward.
He said drunk driving has to stop. There needs to be checking with an alcohol meter and we will amend the law if we need to.
However, his department doesn’t yet appear to be implementing this way forward at the same pace. Let us look at the basis data on alcohol meters, sourced officially, from the traffic department.
There are just 100 breath alcohol analyzers in the entire State of which 34 are currently non-functional for different but alarming lengths of time. It is provided to 42 police stations which also include traffic cells, which have the status of police stations, which works out to less than 3 alcometers per police station on an average, though the main town police stations have been allotted more. (See Info Graphic)
The Panjim Police Station and Traffic Cell combined have only seven functioning alcohol analyzers of the nine with them. In Margao there are eight in working condition of the 11 in their possession. While Mapusa, which is surrounded by party spots in Assagao, Calangute, Anjuna has just three functioning alcometers of the six with them at three times less than the minimum required.
The story of Calangute and Anjuna has been dealt with in the adjoining story.
The story of shortage continues in Colva and Canacona. The former is one police station that has the entire South Goa coastal stretch with bars, shacks and restaurants, from Mobor to Colva, while Canacona controls the party belt of the Palolem, Patnem and Agonda, etc.
The Colva Police Station has only one functioning alcohol analyzer while Colva Traffic Cell has only three alcometers allotted to them of which two are in working condition.
Speaking to Herald, Siddhant Shirodkar, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DYSP) Traffic said, “Many alcometers await repairs. The agency that had the responsibility is presently unresponsive. We are getting them repaired from other technicians.”
Meanwhile, his department head for the whole State Bossuet Silva, Superintendent of Police (SP) Traffic Goa underlined the issue by saying that the augmentation of existing alcometers and staff will be done to concentrate on the tourism and coastal belts. “When new devices arrive the problems of deficiency will be resolved,” said Silva.
But at the end of the day, the victims of inadequate deterrents to drunken driving are the people. Roland Martins, Convenor GOACAN said, “Clearly it is insufficient. There are breakdowns and there have to be machines that will remain as back up for non-functional devices. In the previous meeting we have proposed for procurement of more devices.”
“As we held an important meeting of the District Road Safety Council we expected the Excise Department to attend the same but they are least bothered,” he added.
