While in Goa, forget the beach

Reeling under a strike, the state is struggling to find lifeguards to secure its coastline, already off-limits to schoolkids

THIS season, if you are going to Goa, the government thinks it would be better if you stick to the shores and watch the waves crash on the rocks. And leave your Baywatch memories at home, spotting a lifeguard here could take you more than a vacation.

Following a spate in drowning deaths, local schools have been asked not to bring children on excursions as their safety cannot be ensured. Anjuna, Baga, Calangute, Colva and Palolem beaches have already been declared danger zones and signboards put up, warning tourists to keep away.

Lifeguards along the 105-km coastline went on a strike about three months ago, demanding better pay and working conditions and while stop-gap arrangements have been tried out, the shores are far from secured. More than 200 people have drowned in the past four years and with the number of lifeguards lower than ever, this season November to March could be the riskiest yet. Until August this year, 45 people have drowned off Goa.

8220;The lifeguards provided by the tourism department are on strike and the Tourism Development Corporation has not been able to appoint their own lifeguards yet,8221; explains Pamela deputy director of the Department of Tourism. 8220;So we had no option but to come out with this circular keeping schoolchildren away.8221;

The government has not been able to appoint full-time lifeguards; lifeguards appointed from the Goa Contract Labour Society Ltd, in a bid to cut costs and long-term liabilities, have not been able to fill in. In a last-ditch move, the department decided to employ women to but there were few takers.

Goa Tourism Development Corporation director Sanjit Rodrigues says recruitment is on and likely to take more time.

8220;The Goa government can8217;t shy away from the responsibility. What kind of tourism do you follow when the government is making money but does not want to create the infrastructure,8221; said a father whose child, a student in Delhi, drowned in the beach a few years ago. 8220;Goa does not have any life-saving equipment on its most popular beaches.8221;