Now the cat is finally out of the bag. Our worst fears have finally come true confirming that the tiny tourism dependent state of Goa is the accident capital of the country population to accident ration wise. When confirmation of the fact comes from non-other than the Cabinet Minister in the Government it needs to be viewed seriously. When a senior member of the Cabinet makes a statement in the public domain it is to be taken as the bible truth, for by default he has spoken on behalf of the ruling Govt. The Hon’ble Minister for Health Vishwajit Rane is known for not mincing words when it comes to facts and figures. He knows what he is saying and knows what needs to be done. Thank you Hon’ble Minister, for not beating round the bush but coming out openly and revealing the truth as far as the state of the road safety, the increasing number of road accidents and the fatalities in the tiny state of Goa are concerned.
Unfortunately, our beloved Goa once proudly referred to as the Pearl of the Orient and the Rome of the East is now making headlines across India and the globe for not so pleasant reasons. Whether it’s the drug menace, organized prostitution, gambling, environmental issues, tourist taxi issues, developmental projects against the wishes of the general public etc., and fatal road accidents day in and day out in Goa hits the headlines much faster than the robust economy and rising Sensex.
Goa and its state administration need to take a very holistic approach to study in-depth and understand why the graph of road accidents and fatalities are on the rise especially so after the Goan highways are turned into four and six lanes. It looks like all efforts by the Law enforcing agencies to control the road rage and accidents have been exhausted. It looks like its end of the road for them. It’s a fact that the population of the motor vehicles on our roads has increased resulting in congestion on our streets and highways. With the indiscipline exhibited by local motorists, and visiting tourists with no fear of the law, fatal accidents and blood bath on our roads is bound to happen. When people get killed by speeding vehicles when in the safe confines of their business establishments, and whilst innocently crossing the streets, the administration certainly needs to stand up and pull up their socks. They need to go into a huddle and do a brainstorming as how to tackle the rising incidents of road accidents. It’s time to think out of the box and come out with out of the box practical solutions. Merely, standing at cross roads and the highways to check the stray traffic offender will not help. If we are to bring in some semblance of road discipline and curtail road fatalities, the message to act on traffic indiscipline with an iron hand with no compromise and no nonsense approach has to go out loud and clear.
We are on the threshold of the major festive season, by the time this comes in print Goa will be flooded by holiday makers and revellers who see Goa as a ‘kuch bi chalta hai’ destination. This image and attitude has to be nipped in the bud. The visitors both domestic and international irrespective of their economic contribution to the tourism stakeholders need to be sternly told that they have to obey the laws of the land and that Goa is not fun destination where rules can be flouted as per their whims and fancies. Thanks to our East-West cultural blending, Goa is a unique land of peaceful, gracious, hospitable, cultured and well-mannered citizens. And we want it to remain that way for our future generations.
In the absence of a robust and dependable public road transport system, the need for the common man to own a vehicle to be mobile is all the more compulsory. With growing industrialization, if the public transport system was dependable and reliable the need to purchase private vehicle would have drastically reduced. But, successive Governments have failed to establish a dependable public transport system for the student community as well as the general public from morning till late in the night. Despite a strong river network, the Government is yet to seriously explore the options of inland water transport system to mobilize movement of traffic from the hinterland to the mainland. This would reduce the pressure on the road network and help minimize congestion and resultant accidents.
The only Government run Transport Corporation is known more for its losses to the exchequer than the services rendered to the general public. It was a visionary move to establish the Transport Corporation when the Congress Government first came to power in 1980. Unfortunately, the Corporation was not managed and run the way a Corporation should be. It lacked corporate culture, corporate sense, and strict administration. As a result it failed to live up to the expectation of the public. It’s never too late to revamp the entire system and make it a profitable venture, considering the scope for a robust public transport is need of the hour for faster and safe mobility. All it has got to do is hand over the helm of affairs to a qualified and experienced Technocrat to run and manage the affairs of the corporation. Relieve the inexperienced politicians of the additional burden of running a corporation. Lacking in professional and management skills they can’t manage and make it a profitable venture. Leave them alone to legislate and form the laws. Finally, involve citizens with experience and integrity with love for Goa to be part of the think-tank to bring in drastic administrative changes and bring safety on our roads.
(The writer is a Vasco-based Konkani author, freelance writer and TV anchor)
