Where’s Goa heading?
It’s a sad truth though that the New Year across Goa was welcomed with sudden tragic deaths. It’s really a nightmare for the family members and friends who have lost their loved ones in these tragic deaths. However, the question still remains that, is Goa really turning out to be the accident capital of India?
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Moreover, as mentioned in certain section of media that the flow of quality tourists is deteriorating in Goa. In addition, we come across such type of tourists who usually visit Goa just for beach parties, drink and spend time anywhere in the open-air.
Certain videos have surfaced on social media platforms pertaining to kids sleeping on the top of the car and it’s such a dangerous drive though.
Furthermore, in my opinion, along with the tourists, the migratory birds too have stopped visiting Goa for several reasons much felt or experienced by them. Unfortunately, we have one unwanted guest, the leopard that is frequently visiting human habitats and wise enough not to get trapped. Similarly, raw sewage is making its way into lakes and rivers, thus polluting the water bodies. Nevertheless, the air pathogen’s level has increased in certain areas causing risk to the health of local populace. Sadly, few months ago, petroleum was discovered in a local well water which was infact the talk of the town!
Evidently, God has blessed us with natural resources like water, air, land, etc. Are we making good use of it and preserving it for the next generation? At times we are much concerned about our rights, but forget about our duties. Eventually, it’s also our responsibility as a citizen to do the needful and preserve the pristine beauty of Goa. Hats off to Goan activists for their contribution!
Joseph Savio Desouza, Candolim
Maintain streetlights on regular basis
It is learnt that in the aftermath of the tragic death of a youth from Ribandar in a road accident at Mala Panjim, there has been a hue and cry raised by social activists as the streetlights at the location were allegedly non-functional which were repaired after the accident.
If this is so, it is a very serious lapse on the part of the authorities concerned. A road that is dug up needs extra illumination. Incidentally in Goa citizens pay for the street lighting as well, since the charges for the same are included in the monthly electricity bill. Hence it is the basic right of the citizens to have the streetlights functioning after dusk every single day. The importance of functional streetlights all along the roads can never be underestimated. Street lights illuminate the adjoining areas of the road and the area beyond the range of the vehicle headlights to help drivers be vigilant and to alert them of possible hazards. Studies have shown that the accident rate on unilluminated roads at night-time is about three times the day time rate. When one drives from a well-lit area to a dark area, the eyes take time to adjust. Quality street lighting also improves safety for pedestrians and people with weak eyesight. Regular maintenance and monitoring of street lighting systems are essential to ensure their ongoing effectiveness.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Tourists desecrate South Goa beaches
Mounds of plastic waste has littered the beaches of South Goa post the New Year celebrations 2024. The government’s diktats to check open air cooking on Salcete’s coastal roads seem to have borne fruit, but to get around that tourists brought in food packets and after the revelry dumped the containers and the packaging on the beaches.
Plastic bags, alcohol bottles, glasses and snack packages were seen scattered along the beach stretch from Benaulim to Betalbatim covering a span of 8 kms.
Lakhs of no budget irresponsible tourists are primarily to blame for this desecration of our beaches which have gone from pristine to polluted. Neither the tourism department nor the police seem to be paying any attention to check this debasement of our natural assets, infact no law enforcement personnel or tourist police (are they still around ? ) were deployed on New Year’s eve to keep an eye on such miscreants. Low quality visitors do nothing for the local economy or the beach shack business, rather they add to the burden of the waste manage agencies and crumbling civil infrastructure.
This tourism anarchy detrimental to Goa should be checked through government legislation and other measures else the state would turn into a veritable garbage dump permanently.
Vinay Dwivedi, Benaulim
Please stop the ‘smartness’ in Panjim
The woes of the Panaji citizens continue from October 2022, after a small respite thanks to the monsoon months, because of the authorities over-drive in making Panjim a Smart City. The contractors and authorities are neither deterred nor moved by the plight of several cases of water and sewage tankers tumbling and collapsing like a pack of cards in sinking roads and nor by the several misses and accidents, the recent being the untimely death of a youngster at Mala for no fault of his.
There seems to be no planning, supervision, accountability nor coordination, amongst other shortcomings, since the day the works. Instead of carrying out the works in systematically, with precautions in place and on a sure-footing, Panjim looks like a war-torn city. For the mishaps and accidents that have occurred no officers, supervisors or engineers have been taken to take to task for they are super-smart not to get involved. The contractors are over-smart and over-confident that nobody can touch them. The zealous higher-ups and departments smartly blame one another while the citizens are smarting under their collars. Let us stop imagining a futuristic Panjim and deal with the daily nightmares. The un-smart Panaji city of yore was tolerable and ‘user-friendly.’
Sridhar D’Iyer, Caranzalem
