A pall of gloom descended on Navelim, Salcette as a scooter-riding college boy of SY BCom of Rosary College, Navelim was mowed down by a sand laden truck towards the end of lunch hours, about two hundred meters away from the college and right in front of the Our Lady of Rosary Church, Navelim junction which has been a hot spot for traffic congestion and have led to many accidents recently.
Despite many accidents taking place in the same area, the traffic authorities are yet to wake up to find a comprehensive motorist friendly plan to ease the confusion that prevails there with schools, colleges and the market goers jostling to cross the crowded four roads junction. This sea of confusion is compounded by a bus stop close by where busses stop to intake and alight passengers, thereby blocking the traffic and the entrance to the road that leads to the college. The mess increases during office and college hours.
The innocent young boy was seconds away from reaching his college and minutes away from his home on the Navelim-Margao road and according to eye witnesses, they heard shouts like ‘rukho, rukho’ as the truck driver began to overshoot the site by speeding to make good his unsuccessful escape. This is most ridiculous and unfortunate.
Definitely, this unfortunate tragedy could have been averted and the life of this innocent student saved, had someone in authority including the local MLA acted in time as it is a long pending issue. But in Goa, who cares?
Upon seeing the student floored, the driver tried his best to flee but was caught by the alert public – such is the state of humanity with the truck drivers who at times drive like maniacs, often under the influence of alcohol or tobacco use. And despite of the recent measures to control drunk driving, there is still no serious thought given in Goa to reign in errant bus and truck drivers who flout driving rules like lane discipline and over speeding as if the roads are their own fiefdom to drive at will and the way they wish to.
In Goa, there are no serious rules for heavy traffic especially in city limits and highways, and even if there are, the implementation is poor, and that causes heavy and loaded trucks to have a free run with the authorities hardly able to enforce any traffic rule on the roads.
A humble request to our chief minister is that if his transport minister is incapable of handling his portfolio, it’s high time he is relieved of such a portfolio – point blank!
Goa has seen a spate of road deaths in recent times and yet the authorities are not showing any responsibility to implement and enforce rules for road users, especially trucks.
Stop this madness on Goan roads and show some care and concern towards the road users specially areas where schools and colleges are located. We do not want our youth to succumb to road accidents and lose their lives.
