Among the many tragedies Goa has been witnessing, the ones which have brought most pain and unimaginable consternation in innumerable families are deaths and injuries in road accidents, which do not see any let up. I dwelt lightly on this topic in my last article. However, the matter surely deserves much more urgent and serious attention. One might argue that this is the result of development. However, development cannot be haphazard without the least thought about the available infrastructure and the mighty hurry in building bridges and roads, overlooking environmental and ecological perils.
Life, health and welfare of people ought to be priorities to any sensible Government. It may be foolish to expect the Government to consider a freeze on vehicles, though some countries consider this due to shortage of parking spaces. But broader roads and better public transport are possible solutions to traffic flow and road decongestion. The second solution has not even been given a thought, despite possibilities of additional employment and saving precious fuel and the first is generally resorted to if only to allow proliferation of buildings and consequent additional inflow of outsiders, eventually defeating the very purpose of improving road infrastructure. It is obvious therefore that the aim is not to make life easier for people but to support projects that can bring in revenue not so much to the Government but to those in the Government.
The Government cannot escape the blame of being responsible for doing practically nothing to reduce hazards on our roads. But many of us at least, cannot also evade the guilt of behaving at the steering as if we own the road or taken leave of our senses and lost all sensitivity towards the possible danger to others. Chaotic traffic, undisciplined and incorrigible drivers and riders, lethargic and insincere enforcement agencies and a criminally negligent and irresponsible PWD have allowed pain, sorrow and penury to invade hundreds of our homes. Parents burying children or children burying parents, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters wailing for dear and near ones, some their only source of support, children orphaned at a young age are regular scenes in Goa. One wonders whether we ever paused to think that we could have been the unfortunate suffering the trauma of having lost someone so dear or so close, at times our sole treasure, our only hope, or whether it ever struck us that our victim could be the sole breadwinner of the family and hence we could be ruining their entire future. Can money ever bring back the joy and happiness in such families? Are we so hardhearted that we cannot even spare a thought for others? Such thoughts need to be part of our upbringing, of our so-called education.
Thankfully, our roads are not so bad. Let us credit PWD for it. But their irresponsible behaviour in digging patches of roads for repairs and leaving mounds of mud or depressions in such spots or keeping speedbreakers unpainted and invisible have already caused deaths and grave injuries of unsuspecting motorists. Suggestions for a traffic squad to be regularly circling round the city on a bike to discipline and regulate traffic and book violators have often been placed by me at every possible forum including the IGP and recently the new DGP. For some strange reason, it has never been implemented but hopefully it will. Besides instilling a sense of fear in motorists due to its sudden appearance, it would have added income to our cash starved Government. But instead, hordes of traffic cops are seen at known spots to check crash helmets and documentation rather than on a sincere mission to enforce discipline and curbing speed and recklessness.
Dividers on broad roads would ensure smooth flow and more discipline as also easier crossing by pedestrians. But that is never a priority for our authorities who willfully do not act solely to encourage encroachments on road widening areas, at the behest of those in power. While pedestrians are most respected on roads the world over, Goa is an exception with several deaths having occurred in recent years. Such fatalities and those caused by utmost negligence or recklessness must be treated as culpable homicides. Only such tough decisions can bring about a reduction in accidents. Traffic lights would minimise pedestrians’ woes, but except at the airport and Porvorim, these are not to be seen, despite offers from some agencies to install them, free of cost at some places. This free service and also free erection of traffic signs and road name boards in some cities faced roadblocks because someone somewhere wanted something under the table. Religious structures, particularly of my own community, are another hindrance to the traffic and possible causes of accidents. Some of these can be easily relocated and this must be done urgently, according to Supreme Court directives.
Curbing road accidents has never been a priority to this or past Governments. Their main concern has been to build finances for themselves or their parties. Our families today are small and we are turning them smaller allowing grief and despair to enter our homes. It is horrifying to think that our roads are smeared with the blood of our near and dear ones. We cannot afford this any further. It is time all of us join hands in the noble task of reducing pain and misery in our families by first we, ourselves, exercising restraint and ensuring discipline whilst driving/riding and thereafter compelling the authorities and particularly the Police and RTO to rein in the criminals on the prowl on our roads.
(The author is a retired banker)
