PANAJI: Goa Pradesh Youth Congress working president Mahesh Nadar slammed the BJP government for failing to keep check on adventure sports in coastal areas.
Mahesh Nadar, along with GPYC General Secretary Prasenjeet Dhage and North Goa District President Rinaldo Rosario was addressing a press conference at Congress House, Panaji on Tuesday.
Reacting to the loss of two lives, including a tourist and paragliding pilot, at Keri in North Goa, Nadar said that it is failure of the insensitive BJP government to check on such activities.
“Government should come clear whether they have any check on paragliding activities and whether operators are told to opt for measures to save the lives of tourists. This ‘total commission’ govt is busy in its activities of saving its power to further ruin Goa,” Nadar charged.
He said that the government needs to be transparent about their oversight of paragliding activities in Goa, ensuring that operators prioritize tourist safety.
“We consider our guests as Atithi Devo Bhava. It is our duty to offer them safety when they arrive in our beautiful state. When they opt for services like Paragliding there is a need to take measures to prevent accidents and save lives,” Nadar said.
“If such incidents take place, then Goa’s image as a tourist destination will spoil and we will face loss. We are already facing loss due to suspension of mining and are only dependent on tourism. If we face loss in tourism, then we will have no option to survive our economy,” he said.
Rinaldo Rosario said that the government must ensure that these safety measures are implemented and enforced, rather than just focusing on maintaining their power. The well-being and safety of tourists should be the top priority.
He said that the operators should provide safety equipment to clients before starting the activity and regular maintenance of equipment and adherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs) are essential.