IN GOA WHEN YOU ARE PASSING BY ANY HIGHWAYS, ONE THING YOU CANNOT MISS, AND THAT IS THE VENDORS SITTING ON THE ROADS, AND SELLING THINGS. IT MAY BE FURNITURE, FRUITS, FLOWERS OR FISH. OUR GOANS LIKE TO BUY THE STUFF FROM THE ROADSIDE VENDORS THINKING IT IS FRESH AND REASONABLE, COMPARED TO THE MARKET STANDARD. BUT, ONE THING WE NEED TO REMEMBER THAT THESE ROADSIDE VENDORS (IRRESPECTIVE OF LOCALS OR OUTSIDERS) CREATE A BIG TRAFFIC NUISANCE ON THE GOA’S HIGHWAYS…
The accident that took place on the Panaji Vasco main road at Sancole, near St. Jacinto Island, wherein a car driven by a lady rammed into the six fish vendors including a child sitting on the road side for selling the fish. The reports said that the lady who was behind the wheels had dozed off while driving. This may not be the first case of an accident that occurred due to the driver falling asleep while driving but, most the fatal accidents occur due to the same reason.
Here the mistake of vendors is clearly justified but, that does not mean the lady is not responsible for the accident. She should not be driving the car while under the influence of anything even if it is a sleep which always results in the fatalities to the others on the road. But, if those people were not sitting on the roadside then the tragedy could have been averted.
According to one of the eyewitnesses, who saw this accident, said that the lady was driving the car and straight away rammed into the six fisherfolk and a small kid, injuring them severely, and later apologized saying that she had dozed off while driving. She said that she lost the balance of the car as she fell asleep while driving, one of the eyewitness told the media reporters.
The incident took place on a Friday morning at Sancole, near St. Jacinto Island, said the sources. Total six people were injured in this accident that includes a small child of a four year. The car was heading towards Vasco from Panaji and the migrants who live in the small shanties by the roadside were selling the fish on the road, said the sources.
“She was sleeping in the car while driving and straight away rammed into the six people sitting on the roadside,” said the eyewitness who is one of them and was selling the fish on the road when this incident took place.
The report says that two out of the six were seriously injured and the possibility of their survival is very dim. The small child although escaped with minor injuries and had been admitted into the Sancole cottage hospital, said the sources.
Meanwhile, one of the local residents of Sancole blamed the migrants for selling the fish alongside the roads causing traffic conjunctions. “We have already brought this issue to the notice of the local Panchayat (Gram Sabha) but, this issue is not sorted out as yet. The local police is also not bothered about the same. These migrants create nuisance on the road. They sit day and night with the fish on the roadside causing traffic conjunction, and this accident is a result of the same,” said one of the local, Narayan Naik, putting the entire blame only on the fish vendors. What is your opinion on this? This accident happened due to the mistake of migrant vendors alone (as local says) or due to the lady fall asleep while driving (as the migrant vendor alleged) Please do leave your valuable comments on this very serious issue.
SOURCE: VARIOUS SOURCES
IMAGE SOURCE: GOA 365
