Of late, the rising fatalities on Goan roads have highlighted a need for the state to step up
its efforts to curb cases of drunk driving. In spite of a variety of methods
being tried, from educating people to legislative changes, the problem of drunk
driving persists. Adding to it, the lack of convenient public transport system
has hurt Goa where it hurts the most – tourism and nightlife.
While it has been long since Goa has been grappling with this
issue, it may be interesting to note that Hyderabad led the way in curbing this
menace in September 2016, followed by Kolkata. The state government has ordered
for breathalysers to be made compulsory in bars and nightclubs in Kolkata in
order to prevent intoxicated customers from getting behind the wheels and
causing accidents. Furthermore, bar authorities have been instructed to have a
pool of drivers waiting outside their clubs ready to take home drunken
revelers. The grip of police authorities is also stricter in Bengaluru where
the cops are rather ‘infamous’ to be immune to bribe offers. Nitin Chandra, a
Ponda lad now working in the IT city, says, “The fines are heavy and repeated
offence can also result in temporary or permanent cancellation of driving
license. This has led to a sense of seriousness among party revelers who more
often than not prefer not to push their luck by driving under the influence of
alcohol. Not to mention, all the above states either have a good public
transport system or the convenience of cabs – both of which are absent in Goa.”
Prakash Naik, a school teacher based out of Margao, says, “More
awareness needs to be raised, especially among the youth about the severity of
drunk driving. Parents too should go a step ahead and ensure that their kids
don’t take the wrong step.”
Time
and again the unregulated taxi system in Goa finds itself in news for all the
wrong reasons and rightly so. The absence of radio-app based taxis is hurting
Goa in more ways than one, and a robust taxi system is not a luxury anymore but
sheer necessity. Pravin Govekar, a management professional working in Verna,
says, “It is shame that the state authorities have been bowing down to the
unfair demands of the taxi mafia. Their inability to nip the loot and unethical
business practices in the bud has given Goa a bad name on more than one
occasion. A sound public transport system will go a long way in helping reduce
cases of drunk driving to a large extent.”
