Accidents in Goa are rising at an alarming rate. 2016 witnessed over 1000 accidents and 2017 is following the same fate. What could possibly be the cause?
In south Goa, during the BRICS Summit all the speed-breakers were removed for faster transit of the delegates. Every road was done up, every street light fixed, every traffic signal put up. All of this only for the VVIP’s attending the summit. Does this mean the lives of us commoners are less important than that of world leaders? A lot of questions remain unanswered but moreover for us to ponder upon.
With all these developments to show off how well maintained the state is, the government has forgotten to restore some of the important facets for safety of drivers on roads. One of which are the speed breakers.
Why are speed breakers important to reduce accidents in Goa?
We can have a smooth, undisturbed speedy drive without speed breakers. However, it only means that your speed will go unobserved and will only lead to rash driving. Our roads are still not equipped for a driving speed of 120 km/h. The terrain isn’t suitable to do so. The rumble strips installed instead of the speed breakers doesn’t seem to be doing a good job either. The true purpose of the rumble strips is to keep the driver awake if he/she might have been dozing off while driving.
With all chaos of accidents in Goa mounting, the villagers of Verna took situation into their own hands. As a saying goes, ‘sometimes it takes a disaster for us to prepare for the next one’.
The villagers of Verna held a protest by blocking the NH-17 highway and demanded for the speed breaker to be re-installed as soon as possible. This happened 15 days ago but is there any change? The answer is a big No! No action has been taken so far. I guess, there is a need for a bigger disaster to take place for officials to get things moving.
So back to the question asked earlier. Does this mean the lives of us commoners are less important than that of world leaders? What are we going to do to make a change? Or should I say, what are we going to do to survive?
Pic Credit: deadline.com
