Three tourists from Andhra Pradesh – D Anjanaya Nulla (32), D Janardhan (35) and S Sudhir drowned, and six others were missing, when a fibre glass fishing boat in which they had gone for a ride capsized while taking a turn off Anjuna coast in April 2003.
Pune-based Sachin Joshi (22) drowned when the banana boat, on which he was taking a ride with his friends, flipped into the water on Baga beach in October 2012. Lifeguards on jet-skis rescued other boat crew and tourists who were thrown into neck-deep water.
Quoteroom
Our main focus is safety and this cannot be compromised. We are going for single window system for water sports activities. This will be the starting point of safety measures. It will also regulate illegalities and irregularities
– Ameya Abhyankar, Tourism Director
On directions of the High Court, the single window system was being worked out, but there were protests from the water sports operators through various fora. The Tourism Department is working on it at present and once it is approved by the government, GTDC will start implementing the facility wherein the activities will be closely monitored, licences will be checked and proper queue system will be followed. We are also planning to deploy IRB jawans. Unauthorized activities will be stopped and safety measures will be ensured through this step
– Nilesh Cabral, Curchorem MLA and Goa Tourism Development Corporation Chairman
We had already called for a meeting to form a team of officials from different government agencies to conduct random checks at all beaches to ensure that all safety guidelines are followed. Checks will be carried out fortnightly to begin with, and later on a weekly basis if needed
– Captain James Braganza, Captain of Ports
