If our memory is sharp we will still remember the Aldona, Calvim bus tragedy wherein a mini-bus plunged into the river killing seven innocent people consisting of 4 school students, a man, 2 women. I suppose and till today Aldona waits for justice for this six innocent lives lost. What was the reason behind such an incident? The driver under the influence of alcohol? Brake failure? The driver under training or there was no driver at all on the steering? Who was responsible for the loss of such innocent lives? Do the concerned authorities still remember the case or long forgotten? When mining was going on in full swing, how many innocent lives lost coming under the wheels of mining trucks on the Quepem-Sanvordem road? Who was responsible for the loss of these lives? Alcohol, the lost lives themselves or the man on the steering of the deadly operating trucks having no respect for human lives? But for our authorities the deaths were just accidental deaths whereas in reality most of the deaths were like murders and sadly the culprits are back on the steering wheels. Can we blame the liquor outlets for such incidents?
When it comes to liquor, it is totally banned in states like Gujarat but is it really not practically available in Gujarat? An alcohol addict can find alcohol in any corner of the world. With due respect to the Supreme Court, banning alcohol within 500 meters from the National and state highways will not serve the purpose. How is the distance to be measured is another important issue. Measuring the distances aerially by the authorities confirms their total incompetency on the issue. Hope the authorities are aware that one can’t fly to the nearest liquor outlet aerially. It’s definitely not a sudden decision by the Supreme Court.
On what basis more new licences were issued to set up liquor outlets by the authorities when the matter was under study? With regard to the CRZ regulations, the then Digamber Kamat government passed an ordinance to save his favorite star hotel, but did nothing to save the old aged traditional structures of the ordinary Goemkar. Can’t such an ordinance be passed by the new government which will be formed after the March 11 and save the old aged, traditional liquor outlets if not all?
Goa is a different kind of state with different kinds of people and should be entirely handled in a different way. Goans love hard drinks but we are not drunkards so let us not decide as drunkards for Goa. Banning liquor outlets at visible distance from the Highway can be agreed to a certain extent though I personally cannot agree for holding the liquor outlet owner being responsible for the drunk driver on the steering of the vehicle. Let better sense prevail rather than forcefully imposing foolish laws on general public.
