PANJIM: The All Goa Marine Lifesaving Guards Union has approached Goa Police demanding criminal action against Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) and Drishti Lifesaving Ltd over increasing drowning incidents reported in the recent past.
The union, majorly comprising of striking lifeguards, has charged the authorities with violating the fundamental rights of the visitors. In a memorandum to the Office of the Director General of Police and Inspector General of Police, the union’s general secretary Sakharam Dhargalkar urged that all police inspectors within whose jurisdictions the drowning deaths have occurred to register FIR against the responsible agencies.
“Conduct thorough probe into the entire matter of human rights violation so that the rising cases of deaths due to drowning on account of criminal neglect of the directions by the public servants are stopped and controlled. Register FIR against the above authority while fixing criminal and tortuous liability on those authorities who are directly or indirectly responsible for the violation of important and basic fundamental human rights to life and the tourist,” an extract from the six-page memorandum copy states.
The union, while annexing multiple news reports on the drowning incidents, has blamed the GTDC and the lifeguards company to carry out beach patrolling and life saving of the tourists.
The union has also alleged that due to such incidents Goa has ‘earned lot of notoriety so much so that Goa is been looked upon as drowning capital.’ It also pointed out to wasteful foreign trips by the GTDC officials in the name of development of tourism of Goa.
