Team Goemkarponn
VASCO: Former Minister and NCP state president Jose Philip D’Souza on Monday said the Government was not doing any favours by compensating the families of those who died in the stampede at the recent Lairai Jatra festival.
Addressing a press conference, D’Souza said, “The Government may compensate the victims’ families, but that does not mean it is doing them a favour. People lost their lives due to lapses by Government agencies. No amount of compensation can bring back the dead or do justice to the pain their families are going through.”
He further stated that the Government should have offered higher compensation, considering the lifelong impact on the families of the deceased and injured.
Calling the incident an eye-opener, D’Souza said, “The Government must be blamed for all the lapses that led to the stampede and the resulting deaths — the first such tragedy during a jatra in the history of Goa. After declaring the festival as a state event, the Government should have properly assessed the crowd and double-checked the arrangements.”
He added that simply suspending a few officers was not enough and accused the Government of trying to avoid responsibility. “People need accountability. We want to know how prepared the Government was and how people ended up receiving electric shocks while trying to escape,” he said.
D’Souza stressed that the Government always wakes up only after a tragedy, and this incident should serve as a warning to take proper steps and preventive measures in the future. He also appealed to the public to remain cautious during overcrowded events.
