That time of the year has arrived when Goa gets flooded again. No, not with rainwater and sludge but with cars and motorcycles laden with visitors looking to have a good time and make ‘reel’ memories. But who can blame them, really? It is mostly during November-December that big-ticket events are organized in the State, many of which overlap in terms of dates and durations. For instance, the International Film Festival of India is coinciding with the Exposition of the sacred relics of St Francis Xavier. And while these are executed either exclusively by the government or in collaboration with it, there are a myriad privately organized events and parties that are being held side by side, especially in the Anjuna-Vagator area and in other locations along the North Goa coastal belt.
Tourists are essentially spoilt for choice, which is a good thing, except that the State’s infrastructure is unable to take the pressure of footfall of this magnitude. A case in point is the road network in high density areas, which invariably gets choked with traffic thanks either to their poorly engineered lanes or the lack of adherence to traffic rules and basic common sense. Vehicles jostling to overtake one another amid a serpentine traffic jam only adds to the mess and successfully converts a long wait into an eternity. The issue is particularly exacerbated on sections where large-scale road work is ongoing such as the Guirim-Porvorim stretch of National Highway 66.
On roads that are relatively freer, reckless motorists have a field day, zooming and criss-crossing other moving vehicles to get to their respective shindigs, safety and protection of life and limb be damned.
Needless to say, the police force comes under immense pressure to not only ensure smooth execution of events but to also streamline traffic movement and ensure safety on roads. Traffic police personnel, particularly, are really stretched to their limits but after all, there is only so much a human can do. We are in the age of artificial intelligence and the magic it can work, but ironically, the government is yet to tap into its immense potential to regulate traffic and ensure rules are adhered to without having to deploy cops to man areas in the sweltering heat and in areas where dust hangs thick in the air.
Power supply also tends to buckle when multiple venues demand high voltage for their high voltage events. The ultimate sufferer is the common man, who is forced to deal with load-shedding and long drawn blackouts when the power grid in the area concerned trips due to a spike in demand.
The issue of noise pollution is yet another thorn in the side of Goans. Pulsating music blasting from tower speakers can make the heart of even a healthy individual begin to palpitate. There appears to be no will or even swiftness in bringing violators to book, which is why multiple instances of sound rules violations are observed on a daily basis, most of them committed by repeat offenders who seem to rest assured that punitive action, if any, will take a while to reach them.
It is time that the state gets its act together and put all the basics in place if it is to host simultaneous big-ticket events successfully and without harming the psyche and wellbeing of the local population.