Ten tourists have died in the last eight months on coastal belt of Calangute, Candolim, Baga and Sinquerim. Calangute police have registered nine drowning cases from February 2017 till date and the number is on rise. Of these ten, nine were Indian tourists and one British National.
With so many deaths due to drowning, one wonders whether Goa’s beaches are safe for tourists or not.
The nine Indian tourists who lost their lives were aged between 20 to 30 years.
According to the police record following are the tourists who lost their lives in the sea: Diksha Annasab Ghorpade (11 years) from Bijapur; Shridhara Gopala Krishana Bhat (27) from Bangalore; Ashif Eqbal Abdula Kayam (25) from West Bengal; Chandan Ajay Guchayat (21) from Odisa; Ashray Dutta (27) from Himachal Pradesh; Himanshu Kumar (28) from Nainital Uttarakhand; Anuja Susan Paul (22) from Chennai; Gurram Chechu Sai (25) from Andhra Pradesh and one unidentified male aged between 50 to 55 years.
The Britisher’s name was given as David Christmas, 73.
Goa, being one of the top international tourist destinations, thousands of people visit Goa every day. Goa is not only known for its tourist spots and beautiful beaches but also for its tasty food and easy availability of different brands of liquor. The easy access to alcohol might not be main reason to define the quality of tourists but it certainly attracts visitors to Goa, especially the youth.
Compared to other states in India, Goa may perhaps be the only state where people can easily access to different types of liquor. Although the government has banned drinking alcohol on beaches, tourists are often seen consuming drinks in the open. This is why, sources say, statistics of Indian tourists visiting Goa is higher compared to international tourists. With entertainment services such as clubs, casinos and open beaches, many people tend to take advantage of this and invite misfortune.
According to sources, most of the tourists who died after drowning on the coastal belt of Calangute in last eight months were under the influence of alcohol. Many of them were young college students who were not in the condition to save themselves. Also the time which they had chosen to visit the beaches was during late night hours when there are hardly any people around.
Zenobia Lobo, a local, said these incidents have occurred due to negligence. “Tourists get themselves drunk and then don’t listen to the warnings of the life guards and later end up fulfilling their wish at the expense of their lives. The government should prevent drinking alcohol on beaches just like the way police arrest people creating nuisance. Also there is need for more lifeguards to handle such tourists. The Police on duty should immediately take action if they find people drinking on the beaches,” said Lobo.
“We see tourists roaming around on the Calangute roads with beer bottles. Police see them roaming with bottles but don’t stop them. Police fine people who don’t wear helmets but what about people consuming alcohol on such open places?” she wondered.
Another local Talkar said by end of the year the number from ten will increase to 15 since the December month is yet to arrive. “December is the month when the number of tourists visiting Goa double. If the government fails to take appropriate action before December then it won’t be a shock to hear about more deaths due to drowning on beach belts.”
Another local Lavita Fernandes said, “Government managed to ban alcohol on highways after increase in road accidents but bars are just two steps away from the sea. Even these bars should be closed down.”
Sources from Dhrishti said that duty timing of Dhrishti life guards on the beach is from sunrise to sunset. The lifeguards go off duty after sunset so it is difficult to keep watch on the tourist who visit beach late night.
Tourism Minister Babu Azgaonkar said, that he will discuss this issue with Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar. “We will decide on forming a new law taking strong action on those who enter into the sea under the influence of alcohol. The concerned authorities such as tourism department, police as well as Dhrishti are also instructed to act responsibly on the beaches,” Azgaonkar added.
