PONDA: Sunday’s horrific Banastarim accident, which snuffed out three lives and left three others injured, has clearly shown that those behind the wheel driving under the influence of alcohol have no respect for the law of the land.
The horrific accident has raised serious concerns among the residents of Ponda taluka, who have now demanded a total ban on drunken driving with stringent punishment for those riding/driving under the influence of alcohol. They demanded a six-month jail without any bail for drivers involved in minor accidents while for fatal accidents, they should be punished with life imprisonment or a minimum 15-year jail term.
Sandeep Kapileswarkar, resident said, “No fear of the law is one of the reasons for such fatal accidents. To save the lives of innocent commuters on the road, drunken drivers should be punished with six-month jail without any bail for causing minor accidents while for fatal accidents, they should be punished with life imprisonment or a minimum 15-year jail term. The laws should be made so stringent that the driver will not dare to drive under the influence of alcohol.”
Nayan Naik, another citizen, said there has not been much discussion in the Goa Legislative Assembly on drunken driving.
She said, “There is no ban on the consumption of alcohol in Goa and this does not mean that the people should be allowed to drink and drive. Those who wish to consume alcohol should do so only after reaching home to prevent road accidents. Habitual drinkers attending weekend parties, events, marriages, etc, should have a driver with them. After the accident, the rider/driver should dial 100 and undergo an alcometer test followed by a medical exam.”
Social worker Viraj Sapre said the traffic police only issue challans to riders for riding without helmets and at the same time they should conduct alcometer tests to check for drunken riding/driving.
He demanded that those riders/drivers involved in fatal accidents should be punished with life imprisonment.
Sapre noticed that the number of bars and wholesale liquor outlets all along the roadside are increasing and that too in villages. The government needs to control liquor licences to prevent the youth from getting addicted to liquor.
Sandesh Naik from Marcaim said, “With no ban on liquor consumption in Goa, if the customer is drunk, it is the responsibility of the bar owner to send them home by hiring a cab.”
He recalled that Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho had stressed the above need, but sadly ignored it.
Sandeep Parkar from Khandepar said whether there is an accident or not, the person found in a highly intoxicated state should be punished with one-year imprisonment.
Another resident Vishant Naik said laws should be so strict that the drunk driver should be made to think twice before driving.
Vinesh Naik suggested the permissible and non-permissible limits and demanded a total ban on drunken driving.
