Earlier in the week, the state was shaken by the tragic accident that
occurred on the Siolim-Chopdem bridge. The son, who was driving the car, died
on the spot. His father died whilst being taken to the hospital. Four others
suffered severe injuries and were battling for their lives days after the
accident. The accident occurred when a Fortuner car registered in Maharashtra
slammed into the Maruti Swift with a GA number plate, on the bridge. It had
broken that unwritten rule i.e. of never overtaking on a bridge. What followed
however was even more shocking as irate locals turned their ire on the
Maharashtra registered car and set it on fire. How and why did this happen? Is
this an honest response of locals to cars coming from Maharashtra and Karnataka
or is this a one off?
Speaking to people across the state, one came away with a mixed
feeling. DIaability rights activist Avelino de Sa slammed the burning of the
car. He said, “This is sheer madness on the part of our Goans. This is not
Goenkarponn. What will we achieve by taking law in our hands? The accident was
an unfortunate incident. It was not done deliberately. The police need to be
firm while dealing with those who take law in their own hands. Why are the
police not taking action in such cases? Why no FIR registered?? This
hooliganism has to stop as it gives a bad name to the state.”
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However, and unfortunately so, there were many others who didn’t
quite condemn this in the strongest possible terms even alluding to the fact
that tourists, by their behaviour make themselves vulnerable to such extreme
outrage by locals
The sensitive nature of the question also forced a couple to
answer off the record. Palemon Lobo, a businessman based in South Goa, was
categorical when he said, “These people don’t realise that they are not driving
in Mumbai. You do not push your luck in Goa because even if the roads are open,
they are narrow roads, making it very dangerous to overtake, which is like a passion
with people here. You cannot do speeds like you do in Mumbai. It is sad that
people come here not willing to understand these realities. Everyone comes to
Goa to indulge their fantasies and then these tragedies occur. No one is
willing to learn and it will continue. The burning of the vehicle was a one off
and I really don’t think it will happen again.”
Another professional, who is a coach in a sporting setup, was
not surprised that such an incident had taken place. He said, “Goa has a bad
name because of drugs and alcohol. It is overflowing with it and please show me
where are the laws to stop it. No one cares and I see it in my set up where we
see young players who sometimes like to indulge in one of these two evils. When
I was based in Dubai, Goa was highlighted as a place where cheap liquor and
drugs were available. Many accidents are happen due to these influences. There
will be many more accidents like this and maybe even more incidents of cars
being burnt. The burning of the car has not helped matters. We need to tackle
these issues but who is listening.”
A communication professional from Porvorim, who did not want to
come on record, said she was really annoyed by the behaviour of the domestic
tourists. Many would hire these cars or bikes and drive around without a care
for the rules. She said, “There is an absence of respect on the part of these
tourists when they come into Goa and then these accidents occur. I suppose the
patience and tolerance of the average local just burst that day. It was very
unfortunate and I hope it was a one off.”
Jason Fernandes, a corporate executive, said it was important to
educate tourists on acceptable behaviour in the state. He said, “Any loss of
life is a tragedy; it’s particularly sad when it’s a father/son duo taken too
early. The reason for the public’s agitation is that the group they collided
with was supposedly under the influence of alcohol and their vehicle had a
Maharashtra license plate. If true, this follows a now all too common pattern
where people from out of state on vacation in Goa have made life untenable for
locals.
“While I understand the locals’ reaction, it’s important not to
tar all tourists with the same brush, especially given the fact that Goa’s
primary income is tourism. That said, care must be taken to improve the quality
of tourists in the state and a campaign should be launched to educate tourists
on acceptable behaviour in the state. This should be coupled with vigorous
enforcement particularly along the coastal belt.”
Renowned karate coach Joseph Rodrigues felt that tourists came
here for cheap booze and women. He felt they did not contribute anything to the
income of the state. Most of all they drive rash, disregarding road rules and
etiquette and very often under the influence of alcohol.
Vikram Verlekar, a noted jeweller, felt it was an unfortunate
incident that took place in Siolim due to rash driving by the driver, resulting
in deaths. In India, he felt importance of human life was not given priority
and people don’t follow rules. Being a responsible driver, he felt it was a
must. He said, “We don’t do basic things like always wearing a seatbelt,
driving under the influence of alcohol, avoiding overspeeding, maintaining
distance from other vehicles. We are more worried about fines then our safety.
As for the burning of the car, it was done due to outrage of crowd.”
One can only hope this was a one off. Because truth be told, no
mob of locals has the right to run amok and take law into their own hands.
Burning a car in the middle of the road is mobo-cracy.
