TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: The spate of accidents around the year end-new year festivities continued with one fatality and one suicide reported on January 1, 2014, while two persons died on December 31.
Biker Suraj Chavan was killed on the spot after his Pulsar motorbike GA-03-Q-8091 collided with a WagonR car GA-08-A-8046 at Bambolim.
The body of a 28-year-old Nandita Salgaonkar was found floating at Mandovi River, on January 1.
Around eight minor accidents and nearly half-a-dozen thefts were reported on the year end.
On New Year’s morning around 20 students and a teacher from the St Anthony College, Meghalaya, had a lucky escape after a Tempo Traveler, in which they were travelling from Panjim to Canacona caught fire near Gulem-Canacona.
Upon noticing fire near the driver’s cabin, the vehicle was immediately stopped and the panic-struck occupants immediately alighted.
The crime, on the other hand, continued on day-one of the year involving errant tourists. The Anjuna police arrested five Tamil Nadu tourists for their mischievous behavior at Arpora.
The scene was equally bad on December 30-31. Two fatal accidents were reported on the New Year’s Eve which claimed lives of a Briton and local pedestrian at Nagoa and Vasco respectively. While a Brit ~ Philip David Kirkby succumbed while undergoing treatment, the pedestrian died on the spot. Besides, eight minor accidents were reported at Mapusa, Anjuna, Bicholim, Colva, Verna, Valpoi, Maina Curtorim and Cumncolim during the two days.
The thieves too had a field day during the festivities. Belongings from parked cars, materials from under construction sites were stolen, houses were burgled and Rs 10-note gang revived their activity by conning a Kolhapur tourist Sharad Ganpati Kale of cash and jewelry worth around Rs 2.76 lakh cash.
Two parked cars in Miramar– Maruti Alto GA-01-S-8975 and Ritz car GA-03-P-2805 were targeted by unknown thieves who stole items kept inside the cars, by breaking the side-window glass.
Two houses at Old Goa and Anjuna, and a rented shack at Arambol were burgled by unidentified thieves. The total amount of loss is estimated to around more than Rs 1.50 lakh.
Meanwhile hoards of domestic tourists were seen at Calangute and other tourist spots, who had parked their cars in fields or roadsides, brushing their teeth, bathing at streams, broken pipes and merrily defecating in the open, giving a sad account of the quality of tourists and the commitment of the tourism and police on punishing the violators of various provisions of the law against defecating and creating public nuisance.
Old Goa correspondent adds: Five persons suffered minor injuries on New Year’s Day when the car they were travelling in had a head-on collision with an oncoming truck near the Banastarim Bridge on Wednesday morning.
Old Goa police informed that the truck was proceeding from Ponda to Panjim while the Accent car was proceeding from Panjim to Ponda. The police further informed that the accident was a result of rash and negligent driving on the part of the car driver and a case has been registered against him.
The five injured persons were shifted to the GMC hospital, where the driver and a woman occupant were discharged after treatment while the other three persons were kept under observation, the police further added.
The thieves too had a field day during the festivities. Belongings from parked cars, materials from under construction sites were stolen, houses were burgled and Rs 10-note gang revived their activity by conning a Kolhapur tourist Sharad Ganpati Kale of cash and jewelry worth around Rs 2.76 lakh cash
