The paragliding tragedy at Keri, in North Goa, where two persons – a tourist from Maharashtra and a paragliding pilot from Nepal – died, has raised several issues related to safety measures in adventure tourism related activities.
It later came to light that the paragliding firm had no permissions, that its licence had expired and had not been renewed. The owner was subsequently arrested. It doesn’t, however, bring closure to the matter.
Just a week earlier, on the same Pernem coast, a paragliding video uploaded on social media had gone viral.
The video, which claimed to have been from Morjim, shows a group of tourists on the ground asking the paraglider for a lighter. The paraglider then swoops down, still in flight, hands over a lighter to the person on the ground and glides back up.
He returns some minutes later and in a similar manner picks up the lighter. He didn’t touch the ground even once, either time.
The paraglider then swoops down, still in flight, hands over a lighter to the person on the ground and glides back up. He returns some minutes later and in a similar manner picks up the lighter. He didn’t touch the ground even once, either time.
On the ground, one could hear much laughter at what was transpiring and comments to the post described the paraglider as an angel from heaven. It turned so popular that the mainstream media picked up the story and published it, leading even more people to view the post.
I am not aware of all of the laws and rules governing paragliding, but what the man in the paraglider did was a dangerous stunt and, what came to mind at that time, even before the accident killing two people, was whether the authorities should have acted on this in some manner.
Several question arose. Why was the many carrying a lighter when in flight? I would assume that a flammable liquid should be a prohibited item on a paragliding flight. Even if it isn’t, shouldn't the pilot know better than to carry one with him?
Besides, what did he think he required a lighter for as he soared above the cliff and waters of the sea?
And, if smoking in public places is banned, shouldn’t the group on the ground also be penalised, as obviously, they wanted to light some cigarettes?
Besides, what did he think he required a lighter for as he soared above the cliff and waters of the sea?
But, as has been seen in the past, the authorities are reactive rather than proactive.
Take another instance, in the tourism sector itself, that occurred in the past weeks, when last month in Calangute, a tourist had died when an overloaded boat had capsized.
Both incidents – of the paraglider and the overloaded boat – indicate the lax attitude of the operators and of the authorities. It is obvious that rules are being ignored, broken, bent in adventure sports, raising the already high risk levels.
Three lives have been lost in recent weeks, and the dozens saved by lifeguards from drowning, suddenly hardly matter.
The deaths at Keri and Calangute are a screaming reminder to tighten the monitoring of the operations of the various adventure sports operators in the State.
Laws, rules, systems, protocols have to not just be in place, but should also be followed, otherwise they turn meaningless. That the paragliding operator continued running the activity even without a valid licence indicates that there was no monitoring of the activity at Keri and that the operator had no fear of the law.
Three lives have been lost in recent weeks, and the dozens saved by lifeguards from drowning, suddenly hardly matter.
Let’s, however, admit that the paragliding accident could have occurred even if the operator was licenced. There is no reason to believe otherwise, and that is precisely why there should be close monitoring of all adventure sports in the State.
The State, that is promoting this aspect of tourism, where Goa is going beyond the beaches and the sea, should ensure that the those paying for the adventure thrills get their money’s worth and not pay with their lives.
Last week, there was a conclave of tourism stakeholders. Various issues were discussed and most emerged from it satisfactorily. But, while discussions may throw up ideas, it is imperative that on the ground, the stakeholders work within the framework of the rules in force.
In both the accidents, there was glaring disregard of the law.
The authorities have to act with a far firmer hand, or else we can expect more such accidents, and this, tourism in Goa does not require.
Accidents such as these can send a wrong signal to prospective tourists who would want assurance that they are safe when indulging in activities in Goa. The State has to be able to provide that guarantee and it can be done only through strict monitoring of the activities.