Goa has reason to be grateful to four little drowned girls as High Court steps in

They say things happen for a reason. Though one wishes something as horrible as the Calvim tragedy need not have happened. The High Court has stepped in to take suo motu cognizance of Goa's traffic management and is cracking the judicial whip on the State of Goa through the Transport Department and Superintendent of Police (Traffic), both the Collectorates, and Kadamba Transport Corporation. Notices have been sent to all respondents. One wishes though a tougher advocate was selected to be amicus curiae instead of Advocate M S Sonak. One also wishes the Court had added the Disaster Management Team specifically, instead of only the Collectors.

A division bench of Chief Justice Mohit S Shah and Justice F M Reis after reading vast media coverage on the Calvim river tragedy decided that the High Court should take up suo motu public interest litigation on the issues relating to public transport vehicles, school buses and traffic problems.

It says much that the Transport Department convulses itself over High Security Registration Plates, but turns a blind eye to the mess on the roads, which spills over into hospitals and morgues. It took four innocent and beautiful schoolgirls, a woman and a man to die a horrible and painful death in muddy water a few metres away from people standing and staring.

If you are just coming into this narrative. Goa mourns the deaths of four little girls, Diana, Elvina, Priyal and Nagle, who drowned along with a woman and a man in the muddy waters of River Calvim at Aldona. They were travelling in a bus that was to drive on to the ferry crossing. The bus drove down the ramp, overshot it and was instantly submerged in the water and the deep muck that is common to most rivers in Goa.

The driver and conductor jumped out of the bus and saved themselves. Though there were people around, they claimed they did not know how to swim and were reduced to helpless onlookers. Local fishermen in canoes dived down to extricate the passengers, but it was too late.

The police reached the spot but were quite useless since they had no diving gear. The fire service took an hour to reach because the road was already blocked by people who had flocked to the site, who were as useless as the cops since they could do nothing in the situation. The Army and Navy were called in since it was presumed that there were 15 to 20 passengers in the bus. One Navy diver rappelled down from the helicopter swam to the shore and went to converse with the fire services people. The spectators were angry, because the fishermen had already begun removing the dead bodies and the authorities pretty much provided only local colour. The Navy finished the job, even collecting the children's school bags, but it was all too little too late.

The bus driver was arrested. He said his brakes failed, but the Transport department quick to absolve itself of any illegality in giving permits to a 17-year-old mini bus to ply, stated that those buses had fail safe brakes. They conclude that the accident was due to human error. That the driver stamped on the accelerator instead of the brakes. Three of the children were buried along with the woman victim who was an aunt of two of the girls. 

There was so much that was wrong with the Calvim tragedy. So much that was avoidable. A driver-owner of a 17-year-old bus who allegedly stamped on the accelerator instead of the brake; onlookers who did not even try to swim and save the victims, no disaster management to speak of in terms of the authorities. But we have faith that the High Court of Bombay, Goa Bench will see it through. They have the best help possible. Four little angels pushing them on.